Family Ties
by ReneeGoetz
Summary: When Rosalie was changed, she left her entire life behind her. But what happens when a descendant of hers winds up in Forks? How will Rosalie and her great-niece handle knowing they have a lot more in common than they'd ever imagined? T for mild language.
1. Prologue

**Welcome to Family Ties! Please see the short author's note at the end. And let the prologue begin!**

* * *

"Excuse us, Officer?"

I turned to face the pair of obvious tourists, donning backpacks and cameras. As I turned, the gentle breeze picked up and threw the mouthwatering fragrance into my face, just as I was inhaling through my nose.

Oh!

Could there be anything in the world more appetizing, more enticing than that aroma? The female was talking to me, probably asking for directions to some tourist attraction. The Empire State Building, maybe? The Statue of Liberty? What did it matter? It didn't. All that mattered at that moment was that she smelled absolutely delicious! Did it matter that thousands of people crowded the sidewalks around us? I was in uniform, someone was bound to pull out a camera and that was no good. I could show them a "shortcut." The male would be easily dealt with. And for all I knew, he might taste just as good.

While I wasted time contemplating my course of action, the dry burn at the back of my throat continued to grow more and more intense, insistent that it make itself known. I didn't even realize I had been leaning closer and closer, breathing in as much of the tantalizing scent as I could, not able to get enough. I was dehydrated, in the middle of the Sahara, and her scent was a tall glass of ice water.

Her companion was pulling her back, away from me. The strangest sound echoed from my throat. A snarl. A wild, angry snarl. I suddenly found myself crouching, preparing to spring at my prey. Gasps and cries of shock filled the air as camera flashes went off. I didn't care. All I cared about as I launched myself toward dinner was that I was finally satisfying this lifelong craving that had been denied for 23 years…

I awoke with a shout, sitting straight up in bed gasping for air. Bright sunlight leaked into my bedroom around the blackout curtains. I groaned and looked at the clock. 4:32pm. Too early to get up, but I knew there was no way I was getting back to sleep. Not after that nightmare.

"I hate that dream," I grumbled aloud to the empty room.

I wiped my sweat-matted, dirty blond hair off of my forehead and tied it into a loose ponytail before rolling out of bed and making my way into the kitchen. I opened the freezer in search of sustenance. Out of steaks again. Figures. A medium-rare steak always did wonders to alleviate the dry burn that was always left over after that dream.

That damn dream.

I let the freezer door slam shut. That damn dream had never been so vivid before. The aching burn had never been so pronounced. Working as a cop in one of the biggest cities in the world didn't help. That's why I had switched to the overnight shift this past summer. It didn't seem to be helping much. There were less people around, sure. But there were still people around.

Not that I had ever actually attacked anyone. When I actually stopped and thought about _drinking _a glass of _blood_, I felt a little nauseated. I mean, it's _blood_! But that's when the flames would flare in my throat and I would start to salivate. There was definitely something wrong with me. And that dream! That recurring nightmare was becoming more vivid than it ever had been. What if I lost my grip on reality one day, and just slaughtered everyone I came in contact with?

I had to get out of this city, away from any sort of population. Even if I managed to avoid civilians, my partner was still at risk every night…

I didn't even notice that I had pulled the storage bins out until the first one was halfway full of clothes.

I didn't even know where I would go.

* * *

**A Note From the Author:** I know it's short. Chapter 1 will be posted soon, and is a lot longer, has a lot more action, and we meet characters we actually know! Excited?

Just a few quick things. This story will be told from my OC's POV. I may switch POV once or twice, depending on what I need to reveal. Generally, though, I like to stick with one POV throughout a story.

This is my first Twilight fanfic. Please be gentle. But honest. If it sucks, it sucks. Tell me.

I have a blog, on which I try to post short stories weekly. If you have a hankering to check those out and leave feedback, that would be swell! The link is on my profile.

You may not be quite hooked yet, but just wait till Chapter 1. I'm really excited about it! :D

Please review!

_Ren_


	2. Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolves?

**A brief note from the author: Happy New Year!So the strangest thing happened. I had about a gazillion hits, but only one review! :( Not that I was expecting many, it was just a short prologue. And somebody did subscribe. Yay! Here is a (cyber) cookie for you. :) So with all the visitors, I decided to post Chapter 1 a few days early. Not that anybody is actually waiting for it, but maybe if I get another spike in readers, you'll be more likely to review this chapter. There are characters you'll recognize!**

**Also, I realized after I posted the prologue that I forgot to add a disclaimer. But technically only my OC was in there, so… Still not OK, I know. Sorry.**

**Wow, I suck so far.**

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it's not mine. If you don't recognize it, it's probably still not mine. Alex is mine. All things Twilight belong to Stephanie Meyer. Now on with the story!**

* * *

"So, Alexandra. Why did you decide to leave New York City after-" a quick glance at my resume-"more than four years?"

I drew in a slow breath as I put my answer together.

"To put it simply, Chief, New York is very crowded," I answered, smiling. Chief Charlie Swan smiled back and nodded in agreement.

"I've never been one for large cities, myself," he said.

I nodded eagerly, glad we had found a common ground. "I grew up in a small town, much like Forks," I elaborated. "I enjoyed New York, and my two years with the NYPD, but I think Forks would be a better fit for me."

"And how do you think you will fit Forks?" the Chief asked. "New York is a tough town. Forks doesn't require the aggressive approach New York does."

I nodded again. "Exactly why I think Forks and I will get along just fine. I'm tired of looking at everyone like they're a perp."

What I was really thinking was that I was tired of looking at millions of people like they were dinner.

Chief Swan gave a quick nod to himself as though he'd just made a decision and closed the folder that held my resume and NYPD records.

"I think it's gonna be real nice working with you, Alexandra," he said, extending his hand. I smiled and shook it.

"I look forward to it, sir. And please, call me Alex."

We dropped hands and he stood. I followed suit.

"Okay. Alex. Call once you're settled," he continued, as he walked me to the door of his office. "We'll get you set up with uniforms and equipment-"

"Actually," I interrupted, "I'm ready to start. Whenever you're ready for me."

He raised his eyebrows. "Didn't you just get into town this morning?"

I smiled sheepishly. "I'm, uh, a fast unpacker."

He seemed to toss whatever suspicions he had aside. "Ok. I'll see you tomorrow night at 11:30."

* * *

I pulled into the driveway of my new home, killed the engine and let my head fall back again the seat, basking in the silence. The two story, two bedroom, one and a half bath was perfect for me. Not too big to be maintained, but not so small that I'd feel claustrophobic. And it was all by itself, far from the main road, surrounded by trees. I wouldn't have to worry about temptation here. This was going to work out perfectly.

I stepped out of the car and locked it, relishing the sound of the beep that echoed through the trees. I didn't really have to lock it. Who was going to steal it? But old habits die hard. I got the key to the front door ready as I stepped onto the porch. _My_ porch, I mentally corrected myself. I smiled. This wasn't _a_ house. It was _my_ house. _My_ driveway. _My_ yard. So different from renting a one bedroom on the fifth floor of a walk up.

Still smiling (grinning like some kind of moron may have been a better description), I slid the key in the lock and turned. The door didn't budge. I tried again. Nothing. I jiggled and jostled and wiggled side to side. I didn't want to turn too hard, for fear of breaking the key off in the lock. Wouldn't have been the first time.

"What the _eff_?" I groaned out of frustration through my gritted teeth.

A twig snapped. A peculiar scent wafted over me. The hairs on my neck stood straight and goose bumps rippled down my arms as chills shot down my spine, collecting in a puddle of dread settled in the pit of my stomach. My head snapped up. I was suddenly hyper-aware of everything.

I held my breath and listened. Another twig snapped, closer this time. Maybe a hundred yards or so into the trees, to the west. But the scent was coming from the east. Whatever it was, there were more than one. It would appear I was surrounded.

I pulled the key out of the lock and slowly turned to face my driveway. And then I saw it. Two black eyes peered back at me through the greenery, not more than fifteen yards away. That's when I suddenly realized, with a nasty twist of my gut, that I hadn't been issued a gun yet.

I was freakishly strong and fast for a girl. A girl who wasn't particularly buff, a girl who was actually somewhat slender. But whatever was out there had me surrounded and I had no way of knowing how many there were. There were at least two. Could I defend myself against all of them? I had to get to the car. It was my best bet.

I took a cautious step forward. The pair of eyes also moved.

I leaped down the stairs and I was running. I hit the remote to unlock the car. I was already opening the door and scrambling in when the eyes were out in the open, part of a larger beast-a _much_ larger beast-sprinting toward me. I fumbled with the ignition as I watched the creature in my mirror.

_Was that_-?

No. Couldn't be. They didn't get that big. But… Was that a _wolf_?

I watched as the black furry monster leaped over my car… then landed in front of me. We stared at each other for a full five seconds. Then his lips pulled back and he growled.

I screamed, screaming louder as his growl grew louder, having momentarily forgotten about turning on the car.

He crouched and sprang. I reflexively held up my arms in defense, palms facing the enormous wolf. The massive beast came to a halt in midair, hovering six inches above my windshield.

I gasped and looked around in horror before remembering there was no one around to see my freaky talent. I sighed, and then looked back to the massive wolf, still suspended above me. One massive paw started to swing toward me. I shrieked, and pushed him further up in the air just in time.

Then I remembered that there were others.

Keeping the wolf up with my left hand, I started the car with my right. I reached for the seat belt, and a movement from my left caught my eye. Another one. I moved my arm as though I were throwing a baseball toward the second wolf, and the first one hurtled through the air toward his companion. I heard the dull thud of the two animals colliding as my tires screeched down the driveway, protesting against the sudden speed. I didn't even let the car come to a complete stop as I whipped it around and threw the gear from reverse to drive. I floored it, thanking Christ I had splurged and bought the Turbo edition.

The speedometer crept upward. 80. 85. 90. I checked my mirror. No monsters were following me. I looked front. No monsters were following me because the monsters were in front of me. With a gasp, I slammed both feet onto the brake pedal. The tires squealed in protest once again as the car slid. I lost control and the car began to spin. I felt like I was on a tilt-a-whirl. The trees that lined the road were getting closer and closer. I turned my palms to the ground and pushed. Still spinning, I felt the tires leave the ground. I kept my left hand down and pushed my right hand straight out in front of me, willing the force leaving my hand to catch onto something solid.

With a jolt, the spinning stopped. I turned my right hand down again and with my left I put the window down, stuck my head out, and threw up. It took a couple of seconds to hear the splatter, so I guessed I was pretty high up. I didn't want to look. But I knew I couldn't stay up here all day. Someone was bound to drive by eventually.

I sniffed. I didn't smell the wolves, if that was indeed what they were. But I did hear an engine approaching from less than a mile away. I slowly let the car down, careful not to let it drop too hard. The tires made a soft, squishy landing, rather than the hard _thud_ I had been expecting. That meant that I had landed in the dirt shoulder.

I heard the approaching engine turn around the bend and slow. The driver must have seen my car. As I turned to see who it was, I heard a disconcerting groan of metal, and felt the car start to slide to the right. Panicking, I looked out the passenger window, down the steep ravine I had landed on the edge of.

As the car slid, it turned and went front-first. I tried to steer, but the forest was too dense. I barely registered the tree my bumper was crashing into before the airbag went off and hit me square in the face.

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**

**Allthenuts: Do you see that Twilight connection now? Thanks for the review! Do it again! :D**

**My plan is to update about once a week. I'll try my best to stick to that, especially if reviews pick up.**

**Please leave a review! If I suck and should stop, please tell me! If it's totally kick-ass, tell me that too! Thanks!**

_**Ren**_


	3. Needles, XRays and Scalpels

**A brief note from the author:**

**Disclaimer:**** If you recognize it, it's not mine. If you don't recognize it, it's probably still not mine. Alex is mine. All things **_**Twilight**_** belong to Stephanie Meyer. Now on with the story!**

* * *

My eyelids weighed a thousand pounds each. It took all my strength to open them, and when I finally did they fell closed again almost immediately. I tried again, and they fluttered open. I squinted against the bright light. I already knew where I was. The sterile odor had given it away. As I looked around the Forks Emergency Room, I wondered who had brought me here. And what the doctors might have found. I'd never been to a doctor. I'd never been sick. Maybe a little head cold here and there, the flu once, but never anything serious. Anytime I got hurt, it was usually minor and healed within a few hours.

I knew I was different. Grandpa Richie had told me that I had to do and say certain things so that people wouldn't freak out. Like, let the other team win sometimes in little league, or lie about my age.

Now I was nervous. Was all of that for nothing? 23 years of carefully fitting in, up in smoke after a simple car crash?

"Oh good, you're awake," a voice said. I looked to my right, where a nurse was fiddling with an IV drip. "I'll go get the doctor."

I sighed as she bustled away and I looked down at the offensive little needle stuck in my arm. Another reason I'd never been to a doctor. I peeled up the tape and look away as I pulled the needle out. I was about to swing my legs off the bed, ready to make a run for it (no normal human could keep up with my speed), when a handsome blond doctor approached.

Well, _hello_, doctor!

"You shouldn't be moving around just yet, Alexandra," he said kindly. "That was a bad crash you were in."

I returned his smile as I settled back into the pillows. "I feel fine, Dr-" I glanced at his name tag "-Cullen."

Dr. Cullen glanced over the clipboard in his hands, flipped a few pages and made some notes.

"From what I've heard, you're lucky Deputy Lucas happened to drive by when he did," the doctor said to me. "You could have been hurt a lot worse."

_Ha! If he only knew…_

"Do you remember what happened?" he asked.

_Of course I remembered._

"I lost control of my car," I said. I didn't feel the need to mention the giant wolves. That would be a surefire way to get a transfer out of the ER and into the psych ward.

I shook my head and scrunched my brow. I lost consciousness, I should be confused and disoriented, right?

"I think I hit tree?" I looked up at Dr. Cullen, who nodded and made some notes.

"You memory doesn't seem to be affected, that's good." He closed the clipboard and looked up at me. "However, we came across a few… abnormalities," he continued. "I want to keep you overnight, just for observation so we can make sure there are no negative long-term consequences."

This is why I stayed away from doctors.

"Abnormalities? What kind of abnormalities? I'm supposed to start work-"

"I already spoke to Chief Swan," the doctor interrupted. "Who, by the way, is waiting outside to speak with you." He started walking toward the exit, tucking the clipboard under his arm.

"But what about-?"

"We'll get you into a private room," Dr. Cullen called back from the doorway. "Then you can have visitors."

And he was gone.

This was _exactly_ why I stayed away from doctors. My elevated body temperature, accelerated heart rate, rapid healing, who knows what an x-ray would look like. It was better to play it safe and avoid the inevitable questions.

Oh, I'd been hurt before. Like any kid, I'd had my fair share of skinned knees and bumps and bruises. But they'd always tended to heal within a few hours, a day at most.

So the question remained: Which abnormalities had this doctor found?

I didn't notice I'd been biting my nails until a hand covered the one at my mouth and gently tugged. I looked at the nurse, who smiled patiently back, dropping my hand quickly.

"Your fever is so high, dear," she said. "You shouldn't have pulled the IV out. You need all the fluid you can get. Not to mention we had enough trouble getting it in the first time. Now hold still. This will pinch a little."

I turned away and held my breath. There were two of the "abnormalities." High body temp and hard skin. Terrific. And from the sounds of it, at least half, if not all, of the Forks Police Department was hanging around outside. Up and leaving would be out of the question. Nope, I would have to ride this one out. Awesome.

A few minutes later, the nurse, Gertrude, I'd learned, had me brought upstairs to the fourth floor. Thankfully, she brought me the back way, so as to avoid my fan club of sorts, which consisted largely of people I hadn't met yet. It was a simple, standard, single room, complete with private bathroom and TV suspended from the ceiling. No muss, no fuss.

"Okay hun, if you need anything just push this button here." Gertrude handed me a cord with a red button on the end.

"Thanks," I said. "Um, where's my stuff?"

"Oh, it's all right under the bed. Do you need anything in particular?"

"Just my phone."

Still smiling, she reached down and a moment later stood upright and handed my phone over.

"Okay," she said. "Feel better, hun."

I smiled back at her as she left. My phone had no waiting messages, so I opened up Angry Birds to bide my time until I was bombarded with visitors.

I didn't have to wait long. On the one hand I was slightly annoyed. I was on a roll and had just unlocked the Toucan. But on the other hand, I might as well get it over with.

To begin with, only Chief Swan came in, but I saw at least a half dozen faces crowded in the door's window, not even attempting subtlety.

"Hey Alex," my boss greeted me. I put my phone down. "How are you feeling?"

I shrugged. Nonchalance. Always a great way to ease a tense situation.

"Been better," I said. "But not too bad, considering. I'm sorry, I think I'm gonna miss my first day."

"Dr. Cullen already briefed me. You take whatever time you need. I want you at a hundred per cent when you start." He pulled out a small note pad and a pen. "I just need some information for the accident report," he continued. "What happened, exactly?"

I took a slow, deep breath, stalling. Do I tell him about the wolves? I definitely couldn't tell him I lifted my car a hundred or so feet into the air.

_Half-truth it is, Lex_.

"I was driving down the road-"

"Where were you going?"

_Away from the mutant, steroid-ingesting wolves that wanted to eat me._

"I just wanted to get familiar with the area," I said instead.

He nodded for me to continue.

"So I was driving and this wolf just ran right out in front of me-"

"Wolf?"

I nodded. "I mean, a _big_ wolf. A big black one, the thing was just…" I shook my head. "It was massive."

An odd look came over Swan's face. This wasn't new to him. He knew the area was infested with these things.

"Okay," he finally said, "so a big black wolf ran into the road…"

"So I swerved, and I guess I swerved the wrong way and went down the ravine and into a tree."

Chief Swan finished his notes and put the pen away.

"Uh, Chief? How's my car?"

Hesitation. Not good.

"Well, it's uh… totaled."

_Shit_.

In New York, that wouldn't have been _so_ bad. At least there was the subway. But in Forks, Washington? Population seven? Surrounded by forests? I was screwed.

My thoughts must have shown all over my face. Swan had that awkward 'what-is-there-to-say' expression etched into his face. He quickly shook himself out of it and glanced behind him at the faces pressed against the glass.

"Oh, go ahead," I sighed. "Let them in."

He looked back and nodded. That's all the encouragement my newfound entourage needed. There were eight in all. Some in uniform, some not. It turned out that this was, indeed, the entire department.

As they all rushed to my bed, I called out, "Who is Lucas?"

Heads turned and a young man, possibly about my age and somewhat handsome, stepped forward wearing a friendly and slightly bashful smile.

"That's me," he said. "Tommy Lucas."

I stuck my hand out. "Alex," I smiled. "I wanted to shake the hand of the man who quite possibly saved my life, before I met anyone else."

Of course it had never been that close of a call, but nobody needed to know that, and he grinned and blushed as he shook my hand.

"Just lucky I came along when I did," he said. "I heard the crash, you know. If not for that, I'd have just kept going. I wouldn't have seen your car from the road."

Luck, he called it. I called it cursed. Po-_tay_-to, Po-_tah_-to.

The next couple hours passed surprisingly quickly, getting to know who I would be working with. The deputies in Forks rode solo, but Lucas volunteered to ride with me until I got acclimated. It would be nice to have someone show me the ropes. This was definitely not New York. Sure, we had gangs and drug dealers and robbers. But they had giant wolves that chased cars at ninety miles an hour. If that were any indication of whatever else might be hiding within those dense trees, I was a lot safer in New York.

At eight o'clock on the dot, a candy striper came in and ushered everyone out. Chief Swan promised one deputy would be posted outside my door at all times. So if ditching was a slim hope before, it was an impossibility now, if I cared about keeping up appearances. Which I did.

Lucas volunteered for first watch. I was thankful he took "outside the door" to heart. I was exhausted, and frankly sick of answering questions. So when there was a light tap on my door right after I figured out how to turn on the TV, I wanted so badly to throw the remote at whoever was walking in. I refrained, however, which was good because the remote was attached to the bed by a cord, for one thing, and for another, it was Dr. Cullen walking in. I couldn't afford to make an enemy of Dr. Cullen by denting his skull with the remote. He was already too suspicious. I needed to stay on his good side so I could go home.

"Alexandra." He smiled warmly as he approached with his seemingly ever-present clipboard. "Feeling better?"

I tried to return the smile again, but too much had been going on for my liking, and my mind was reeling with questions and worry. So, it logically followed that I failed miserably.

"I'm just really tired," I said, hoping he would take the hint and leave.

He didn't.

"Understandable," he said. "I prescribed more morphine than normally necessary. Your high body temperature burns it off faster than the average human."

What did he mean by that? _Average_ human? Did he know? He was too calm. He knew _something._

I forced a smile onto my face and made sure it stayed this time, despite my painfully obvious discomfort.

"Yeah, I've always run a little warm," I said dismissively.

I flinched away slightly when his hand moved toward my head. He brushed my hair back and studied a spot on my head out of my line of sight.

"And these stitches here, right along your hairline," he murmured slowly. "Looks like you may not have even needed them. You had a nice, long laceration that ran from your temple down behind your ear, but, it's almost completely healed now."

He pulled his hand away and my hair fell back into place.

I laughed nervously. "Guess it wasn't as bad as it looked. So, when can I go home?"

Dr. Cullen wrote a note or two on his clipboard, smiled, and stuck his pen back into his pocket before stepping toward the door.

"Like I said," he answered, "I want to keep you overnight for observation. If you're still doing well in the morning, you can leave."

I sighed in defeat and looked back up to the TV as the doctor reached the door.

"Oh." He paused, turning back to me. "One more thing."

My eyes rolled away from the TV just in time for me to see Dr. Cullen pulling his hand from his pocket, and catch a flash of silver whizzing straight toward my head.

* * *

**Please, please review! If it sucks, tell me! If you happened to have actually liked it, **_**definitely**_** tell me! Thanks! By the way, this is actually going somewhere. You'll see. Just hang in there.**

_**Ren**_


	4. Hey, I Know That Chick

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, and to everyone who has put this story on alert. I appreciate you taking the time to not only read this, but to give me feedback as well. Please review again and continue to enjoy Family Ties. :)

PS: Thank you, Mel Cooley, for being my test subject ;)

**Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, it's not mine. If you don't recognize it, it's probably still not mine. Alex is mine. All things _Twilight_ belong to Stephanie Meyer. Now on with the story!

* * *

Before:

_Dr. Cullen wrote a note or two on his clipboard, smiled, and stuck his pen back into his pocket before stepping toward the door._

"_Like I said," he answered, "I want to keep you overnight for observation. If you're still doing well in the morning, you can leave."_

_I sighed in defeat and looked back up to the TV as the doctor reached the door._

"_Oh." He paused, turning back to me. "One more thing."_

_My eyes rolled away from the TV just in time for me to see Dr. Cullen pulling his hand from his pocket, and catch a flash of silver whizzing straight toward my head__._

Now:

It took me a second to process what was happening. With a flick of his wrist, Dr. Cullen had flung… _something_ at my head. It was a blur of shiny silver. If I squinted, I could make out the object, quickly rotating end over end, sailing straight toward my right eye. I reflexively reached out and wrapped my fingers around the slim metal handle, right before the blade pierced my skull.

A scalpel. He'd thrown a scalpel at me. I stared at the offensive, sharp little blade in my hand and forced myself to start breathing again. I looked up at Dr. Cullen, who looked somewhat cocky.

Then something occurred to me. He couldn't have thrown this at me. Not with that speed. He'd have to be… super human. Like me? Is that what I was? There was something off with this town, that much was certain. Giant wolves, possibly superhuman doctors… What next? A band of rogue aliens looking to colonize the planet via swarms of bees? Or maybe a band of vampires sucking the blood from the population while the town sleeps. Or how about a shape shifter changing into women's husband and impregnating them with babies born with tails? No, I know. A cigarette smoking mackerel snapper, leading an army of zombie snipers hunting for tofurkey. Yes. That was it.

I realized I was still staring with my mouth gaping open like a dying fish. I snapped my jaw shut, and then anger began to replace the shock.

"What if I hadn't caught it?" I demanded. I threw the scalpel to the floor and jumped off the bed. "What if it had lodged in my skull?"

I stalked toward the doctor. He raised his hands, in a placating manner, but didn't step back from my advance. At barely five feet and trying to keep my hospital gown closed, I probably didn't look very intimidating.

"I figured out what you are as soon as the charge nurse told me you were running a 105 fever and said she had trouble getting the line in," he explained. "I knew you'd catch it, and even if you didn't, there would be no long term damage, probably not even a scar."

I was back to staring again. "_What _I am?"

He lowered his hands, presumably taking my confusion to mean I wasn't going to attack after all.

"You share a number of characteristics with my granddaughter," he explained.

His granddaughter? But he looked so young. Late twenties at oldest, if I had to guess, and that was being generous.

My mouth opened and closed a few times, not really sure what to say. Not only was he apparently _much_ older than he looked, similar to myself, but he had some kind of insight into what I was.

"Your grand… What characteristics? What do you know?"

"You mean you don't…" he cut off his sentence and stared back at me. "You don't know," he said. "Look, Alexandra, I'll make you a deal. You want to be discharged, correct?"

I nodded enthusiastically, ready to agree to almost anything if it meant getting out of here.

"I'll discharge you, if you agree to come home with me and meet the rest of my family," he said. "We could probably enlighten each other on a few things."

I hesitated. Yes, I wanted to know more about myself. And yes, I definitely wanted out of this too-bright, too-clean building of doom. But it bothered me that he might know more about me than I did. It felt weird, being handed this information. Almost anti-climactic in a way. I felt like this was information I should have found out on my own, in a kind of cop-movie unauthorized investigation of sorts.

Maybe he was even making the whole thing up. But why would he do that? Maybe he was a serial killer and was trying to lure me to his underground lair deep in the woods to dismember me and do other unspeakable things. Not necessarily in that order. Or, maybe I was over thinking the whole situation. I took care of those wolves, didn't I? If I could handle mutant, giant wolves, I could handle this guy and his so-called _family_.

"Okay," I said finally. "Deal."

He smiled a friendly smile. "Good. Get dressed, I'll push the paperwork through, and the nurse will take you to the discharge office."

Twenty minutes later, I was signing the fourth form of four, and Dr. Cullen walked in, on the phone.

"Okay, I'll be there soon. Love you, too."

I looked up as he slid the phone in his pocket.

"Ready?" he said to me.

I handed the stack of papers to the woman at the desk. "Yeah, I'm ready," I said, and followed him out of the building out into the parking lot, to a shiny black Mercedes.

"Nice," I breathed.

I heard a chuckle of agreement before the headlights flashed and he got into the driver's seat. I followed suit and sat in the passenger seat.

It was dark outside, so there wasn't too much to see on the back country roads. A couple deer ran along the road for a few seconds, but we quickly passed them. After about 15 minutes of awkward silence, the doctor turned onto a barely perceptible road in the trees, more like a camouflaged driveway. A few more minutes of driving on the windy dirt road and the trees ahead of us suddenly opened up, revealing a large white house in the middle of a clearing. House? More like mansion. Three stories high with a wrap around porch, it looked like we'd just stepped back into the turn of the century. I might even have believed that, had we not been riding in a 2012 Mercedes. I gaped in awe, and then shook my head and closed my mouth.

Dr. Cullen parked the car in the garage, in between a bright red BMW and a yellow Porshe. I stepped out of the Mercedes and gaped at the collection of cars. I seemed to be gaping a lot today. There was also a silver Volvo, a white Jeep, and if my eyes served me right, an Aston Martin. Damn.

Dr. Cullen just chuckled at my expression and led the way into the house. I followed him through a door that opened into a large kitchen.

"Everyone, I'm home!" he called out softly. "Family meeting in the dining room, now!"

I felt my brow scrunch as I followed him into the next room, a large space with a large antique dining table and ten matching chairs. There was no way anyone could have heard his declaration from the next room, let alone across the house or upstairs.

I had just set one foot over the threshold when I felt a soft breeze blow by me. I turned, but saw no one. I turned forward to continue on, but a small, black-haired figure blocked my way.

"Gah!"

She giggled at my startled outburst.

I caught my breath. "What- Where did-?" I spun around, looking for another entry, but the doorway I stood in was the only door to this room, and she definitely had not been in here before.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," she said grinning. "I'm Alice."

She stuck a hand out, and I hesitantly shook it.

"Al-Alex," I stuttered.

"Alice," Dr. Cullen said, a slight warning tone to his voice. "Let's wait for everyone to come."

"Sorry, Carlisle," Alice said. "Come on, Alex, sit next to me!"

Good lord, she reminded me of a hyper little pixie. As she asked, though, I took the chair next to Alice and watched as one by one seven other people entered the dining room and took seats at the table. There were now ten of us total, and I noticed immediately that they all, with the exception of me and one other girl, had striking similarities. They all shared the same deathly pale skin tone and yellowish eyes. This was in addition to being abnormally beautiful. The girl who stood out had more of a healthy skin tone and chocolate brown eyes, and looked like a mix between the man and woman sitting on either side of her, across the table from me. I wanted to say that she was their daughter, but it couldn't possible. They had to be siblings. She looked about thirteen, while they couldn't be older than 20. Although, Dr. Cullen _had_ mentioned he had a granddaughter and looked barely over 25.

On the left of who I would guess to be Chocolate Eyes' mother sat a great hulk of a man with dark curly hair, and dimples on either side of his mischievous smirk. At the end sat a stunning blond, with full lips, curves, and a beautiful face. I knew that face. How could I not? Grandpa Richie had had that face in black and white, sitting in a frame hanging on the living room wall throughout my entire childhood.

I gasped and my hands flew to my mouth. "Rosalie," I breathed.

* * *

Can I just say, it is a pain in the butt to be writing a scene with ten characters in it.

Honorable Mentions:

**Allthenuts1013:** Thanks miss! You know the rest ;)

**Skyeblue5565:** Keep checking back for more! I try to write and update as often as possible, but my hectic schedule likes to thwart those attempts just for fun.

**Lestri:** Aw, you make me blush! Thank you very much, and I hope the rest of the chapters live up to the first!

**IKNOWIMWEIRD117:** More blushing! *big grin* Thank you very much! Keep reading and enjoying!

**Zerandomness:** Thank you, and I'll keep writing as long as you keep reading!

**Me:** I know exactly who you are, miss! Thank you for reviewing, read the beginning and do it again! And come back for the rest!

I had intended to make this longer, but I thought that would be an AWESOME place to end it and leave you hanging! No worries, the next chapter is already written and should be up quickly.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review, even if you hated it but especially if you liked it! I won't hold you hostage, but reviews _do_ encourage me to write faster.

In the meantime, you may friend me on Facebook- Renee Goetz, follow me on Twitter- reneegoetz, e-mail me anytime- rengoe84 at gmail dot com, and check out my blog- rengoe84 dot blogspot dot com.

And yes, that was an X-Files reference up there. Kudos if you caught it.

Keep reading!

Ren


	5. Bite Me

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, and to everyone who has put this story on alert. I appreciate you taking the time to not only read this, but to give me feedback as well. Please review again and continue to enjoy Family Ties. :)

Thanks again, Mel Cooley :)

**Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, it's not mine. If you don't recognize it, it's probably still not mine. Alex is mine. All things _Twilight_ belong to Stephanie Meyer. Now on with the story!

* * *

Before:

_I gasped and my hands flew to my mouth. "Rosalie," I breathed._

Now:

There was a prominent silence suffocating the room. I _knew_ her. But it was impossible. There was no way. The photograph that had hung in our house was from 1933. Even if she was still alive, there's _no way_ she would look almost exactly the same. No way. In fact, she looked even more beautiful, if that were possible. But her eyes… Grandpa Richie had always talked about her vivid blue eyes, nearly violet, and how the black and white film didn't do them justice. They were a vivid shade of yellow now.

"Um, this is getting kinda weird."

I hadn't realized how lost in thought I was, staring at who was presumably a descendant of my great aunt, whom I had never met. And who I wasn't aware had had children, either. The young girl with the brown eyes had startled me out of my reverie.

"Sor—" it came out hoarse. I cleared my throat. "Sorry. I uh…" My eyes went back to my great aunt's double. "You look… like someone I know. Well, I don't… I don't actually _know _her, I've never met her. But I've seen pictures. I mean, they were black and white, but still…"

"Edward?" Dr. Cullen interrupted my ramblings, from the head of the table to my left. I followed his gaze to the bronze-haired man opposite me, next to the normal-looking girl, and saw him nod once.

"Oh, dear," Dr. Cullen muttered. I was confused. Completely and utterly confused. He collected himself and continued at a normal volume, "Alexandra, I apologize. Allow me to introduce everyone. Here on my right is my wife, Esme Cullen." He indicated a motherly type of woman with caramel colored hair and a heart shaped face sitting on my left. She held a polite hand out to me.

"Hello dear, welcome to our home," she greeted with a warm smile.

I returned the smile and tried to hide the shiver as a chill went up my arm. There was another similarity between them all, at least the ones I had had physical contact with. Dr. Cullen, Alice, and now Esme, all had incredibly cold skin.

"Of course you met Alice," Dr. Cullen continued. I could feel the little pixie-like girl bouncing in her seat as she grinned. "On the other side of her is Jasper, Alice's husband."

I looked down the table to a man with shaggy blond curls and an abundance of scars covering his visible skin. _Damn. Where did they all come from?_ I wondered.

Next should have been the Rosalie doppelganger, but much to my disappointment, he said, "Here on my left is Edward," and gestured to the bronze-haired man. "Next to him is Renesmee, and then we have Bella."

Renesmee was the 'normal' looking girl directly across from me, and Bella sat to her left, with a heart-shaped face and chestnut colored hair.

"Renesmee is Edward's and Bella's daughter," Dr. Cullen elaborated.

So I was right. But, _how_?

Dr. Cullen must have seen my confusion etched onto my face because just as I opened my mouth to speak he said, "We will explain everything in a moment, I promise. Now, next to Bella is Emmett-"

"Sup?" the dimpled hulk of a man grinned at me. I raised an eyebrow and half nodded.

"And lastly we have Emmett's wife, Rosalie, whom you seem to already know," Dr. Cullen finished.

No way! This was too much of a coincidence.

"Yes, how is it you know my name?" the gorgeous woman asked. She gave an air of calm for the moment, but I had the feeling she could be vicious if she wanted to be.

I gaped like a fish for a few seconds, searching for words. Finally, I remembered how to form a coherent sentence.

"I uh… Well, you look… _exactly_ like my great-aunt," I stammered out. "But… She disappeared… in 1933. So… I know, obviously, you're not her, but you look just like she did. Back then, that is. Even if she's still alive, she wouldn't look like you. She'd be in her nineties now."

I was rambling. I forced myself to close my mouth before I said something really stupid. I was painfully aware that all eyes were on me. I didn't know where to look, so I looked at the table top. The shiny, perfectly waxed table top, with not so much as a scratch on it. Was that mahogany? I could swear I just heard Edward chuckle under his breath. Maybe he had to cough. Of course there were no refreshments. That could serve as a nice distraction right now.

"There's that awkward silence again," Renesmee said. "Can somebody talk, please?"

"You're talking about Rosalie Hale," Rosalie said. I looked up to meet her eyes and nodded slowly.

"My grandfather's sister," I said. "He raised me, he always had her portrait on the wall in the living room."

"Henry or Richie?"

My jaw literally dropped open and I forgot to breathe for about seventeen seconds until a hard poke hit my ribs, courtesy of Alice's elbow.

"R-R-Richie," I whispered. "Oh my God. But you… How?"

She smiled humorlessly. "Carlisle will explain," she said.

Carlisle? Oh yeah, the doctor.

Rosalie stood from the table. "Excuse me for a moment, please." And she gracefully left the room.

Emmett stood as well and followed, walking backwards to face the rest of us as he said, "I'm just gonna make sure she's okay."

I shook my head. This was incredible. No. Strike that. This was _impossible_. She couldn't be. This had to be some cruel joke. Somehow these people found out about my family and-

"It's not a joke," Edward said, interrupting my inner monologue.

I met his eyes. "Then what is it? Because it sure as hell is not possible for that woman to know anything about my family as a pure coincidence."

Now I was starting to get irritated. Frustrated. Angry. I didn't want to be here anymore. I stood forcefully from the table and looked at Carlisle. I heard several other chairs scrape backward, but I didn't pay attention to whose they were.

"Is this why you brought me here?" I demanded. "Some kind of prank? Have you all had a good laugh?"

"No, Alexandra, please-" Carlisle began but I cut him off.

"Please what? Stay? Have some more old wounds and family secrets torn open and shown to the world?" I realized I was yelling. I lowered my voice and finished my speech with, "I don't think so."

I stepped around my chair and moved to the door, but saw that Scarface now stood in my way. I heard someone, too quietly, call for Emmett, who appeared almost out of nowhere behind Scarface.

"His name is Jasper," Edward said, irritably.

Oh, right. Wait. I hadn't said that aloud.

"I can hear your thoughts," he said.

I slowly turned on the spot and stared. Edward was apparently one of the ones who had stood with me. Bella had her arms protectively wrapped around Renesmee, who watched me with curiosity in her eyes. Esme had stood and moved slightly behind Carlisle and Alice was still sitting, but no longer grinning.

"Alexandra, I'm afraid we can't let you leave just yet," Carlisle said calmly. "There are some things we need to discuss, and as you don't seem to know a whole lot about your… _situation_, it's not exactly safe for you to go right now."

It took me a second to process what he'd said. "Wha—Wait, _my_ situation?" I groaned loudly and ran my hands through my hair, dropping them to my sides and turning back to the only door, still blocked by Scarface and Hulk. I saw Edward shake his head out of my peripheral vision. If they weren't going to let me leave, we were going to have to do this the hard way.

"Please," Carlisle implored. "Sit down and we'll discuss everything. When we're done, you may go wherever you please. I was told about your gift, and you look like you're ready to use it on my sons. I can promise you that Esme will be none too happy to have two holes in the wall."

My _gift_? I'd never thought of it as a _gift_ before. And who told him? There had been no one else around except those wolves. I didn't think there had been, at least. Deputy Lucas? But wouldn't he have said something to me in the hospital? Unless he was afraid of me. But if he was afraid of me, why would he have been so excited to meet me? Maybe this had something to do with those giant wolves. Hell no, if these people were involved with those monsters, I wanted nothing to do with them.

Almost as soon as I started to rile myself up again, I calmed right down. I felt a sudden complacency, mixed with curiosity. I suddenly didn't care so much about these people being somehow connected to the giant wolves who had tried to eat me earlier that day. But I _needed_ to satisfy this suddenly intense curiosity that burned in my gut. I needed to know what was going on.

I also felt foolish as I relaxed my posture and pulled my chair back toward the table and sat down.

"Sorry about that," I said sheepishly. "This is all a little weird for me." _Weird. Ha! Understatement if ever there was one. But then again, I can move pretty much anything without touching it, so who am I to call anything weird?_

Everyone else also sat down, however Carlisle remained standing.

"Rose is going to sit this one out," Emmett said as he took his seat. "She wants privacy when she and Lex speak."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Lex?"

He grinned. Terrific. Five minutes with these people and I'm already getting nicknames. Despite my sudden calmness and willingness to hear them out, I was still irritated and having a nickname assigned to me, implicating that there would be a long-term connection, irked me even more.

I rolled my eyes at the Hulk and turned back to Carlisle. "All right," I said with a wave of my hand. "Get on with it."

Carlisle nodded. "First I'd like you to take a look at Renesmee," he said. I looked at the girl who stared right back at me, reflecting my own curiosity. We both stood out from the rest of the people in the room. "You both share similarities that differ not only from the rest of out family, but the rest of most of the world. You both have an elevated body temperature."

_Check_, I thought to myself.

"An accelerated heart rate," Carlisle continued.

_Another check_.

"You heal very quickly."

_Three for three_.

"Your skin is tougher than most people, though not as hard as ours." He indicated everyone else seated at the table.

_Half a check,_ I thought. I couldn't speak for the others. Although, if their skin is harder than mine, what did that make them? I looked at Carlisle curiously. I had the feeling that a huge reveal was imminent.

"You see, our family, we're not exactly human," he continued. "Renesmee is half-human, as I believe you are, as well."

I snorted. "Okay, I'll bite," I said. There were a few stifled laughs, which seemed completely out of place, so I ignored them and continued. "If you're not human, what are you?"

There was a beat of silence.

"Vampires."

And here I thought _I_ was the one who was going to bite. Edward laughed out loud. I glared at him.

"Vampires," I said. "Yeah. Okay. And I'm a flesh eating zombie."

Carlisle shook his head. "No, you're half-vampire." He looked deathly serious.

"It's true, dear," Esme piped in. I met her sympathetic eyes. "Bella was human when she had Renesmee."

I took in everyone's appearance once again, slowly this time. They were all unnaturally pale, compared with me and Renesmee. They all had the same shade of yellow eyes. Not exactly yellow, maybe more of like a topaz. But if they were vampires, shouldn't they have red eyes?

"We only drink the blood of animals," Edward explained. "Vampires who drink from humans have red eyes, and newborn vampires, vampires who are new to this life, regardless of their diet."

I pointed at Edward. "You know, that is starting to get _really_ annoying."

He held up his hands in surrender. "I'm just trying to be helpful."

"Well maybe if you let her speak her questions, we would _all _know what the conversation is about," Alice said, smiling sweetly.

I turned to her. "_Thank_ you," I said. I turned back to Carlisle. "His little mind reading trick doesn't convince me. Hell, I can move cars and giant wolves without touching them, and I've never drank anyone's blood."

"I haven't either," Renesmee offered. "Well, not since I was a baby. But that was only out of blood packets from the hospital. I've never had the fresh stuff."

"Nessie," Bella scolded quietly. "Some candor, please."

"Sorry, Mama," Renesmee whispered back. Then to me, she said, "Give me your hand." She reached out expectantly.

I hesitated. "Why? Are you going to suck my blood?"

She giggled. "No. You'll see." She smiled a friendly smile at me.

I made a quick assessment of the rest of the group. Everyone was watching. Oh hell, why not? I stretched my arm out to meet her hand halfway across the table. I gasped as a flurry of images hit my mind. It was as though I was seeing memories, only they weren't mine. And, not only could I see them, I could _feel_ them.

I was in the woods. A large buck ran past me. I heard the rustling with crystal clarity. I could _smell_ the musky, nearly enticing aroma of his blood, I could _hear_ the wet _tha-lump_ of his heart pushing the thick blood through his veins, the pace quickening as he raced away. And that burning. That all too familiar burning that accompanied that damn dream nearly every night, that burning that a nice, fat, raw steak usually could mostly cure.

In the memory, I chased the buck. Only I was much too short. I mean, I _am_ somewhat short, though not as short as this Alice character who sat next to me in the dining room, and most definitely not as short as this point of view. I couldn't have been more than three feet tall. But I raced after the buck, and caught up within seconds, despite the uneven terrain, the tree roots that stuck up from the ground all willy nilly, the wet leaves that my feet should have slid on. And then I was flying through the air, landing smoothly on the buck's back, wrapping my small arms around his neck until I heard a crack and then my lips were against his fur, my teeth sinking easily into his neck. The blood filled my mouth and coated my throat soothingly.

As amazingly as the buck's blood worked to soothe that burning, itching ache, it wasn't quite enough. It dulled the pain, but I wanted more. Something just a little bit different…

I pulled my hand away quickly and stared at the girl in front of me, my jaw slack.

"Was that you?" I whispered. "Was I seeing what you saw?"

She nodded. "That was one of my early hunts," she said. "Is that what you feel? In your throat, the thirst?"

"Yeah," I said. "Sometimes. Wow." I sat back in the chair and absently rubbed my throat, staring at the table. The dryness from the memory had lingered. "I can't- I don't…" I addressed the rest of the table. "Vampires?" I asked, my brow scrunching together. "Really?"

I got mostly nodding, but Emmet grinned widely, showing off bright white teeth. On someone else it might have looked menacing, but on him it just looked goofy. I wanted to give him a big hug. And maybe a noogie.

I face palmed myself and leaned on the table. "So one of my parents was- _is_ a vampire as well?" I asked it out loud, but I was talking more to myself. "My mother died during childbirth."

"I would have." I made eye contact with Bella. "I _did_," she amended. "The only way I could have survived, the way I _did_ survive, was to be turned."

"So my mother could have been saved," I whispered. "I didn't have to kill her. If he had just stayed around…"

No one answered my ramblings. I didn't blame them. I was creating another awkward moment. I sighed, mentally shook myself, sat up straight and clapped my hands once.

"Well! Now what?"

"There is much more we need to discuss," Carlisle said. "But right now, I believe your great-aunt Rosalie is waiting to speak with you outside."

* * *

**emmettlover4everandalways-** Thank you very much for that compliment of flattery :)

**Me:** Yeah, but being sued for copyright infringement kinda blows.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review, even if you hated it but especially if you liked it! I won't hold you hostage, but reviews encourage me to write faster. If you reviewed before, do it again!

In the meantime, you may friend me on Facebook- Renee Goetz, follow me on Twitter- reneegoetz, e-mail me anytime- rengoe84 at gmail dot com, and check out my blog- rengoe84 dot blogspot dot com.

Keep on reading!

Ren


	6. He Killed Me First!

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, and to everyone who has put this story on alert. I appreciate you taking the time to not only read this, but to give me feedback as well. Please review again and continue to enjoy Family Ties. :)

Thanks again, Mel Cooley :)

**Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, it's not mine. If you don't recognize it, it's probably still not mine. Alex is mine. All things _Twilight_ belong to Stephanie Meyer. Now on with the story!

* * *

**Before:**

"_There is much more we need to discuss," Carlisle said. "But right now, I believe your great-aunt Rosalie is waiting to speak with you outside."_

**Now:**

I swallowed hard as I reached for the doorknob. I knew she was expecting me, could probably even hear me on the other side of the door, but Rosalie looked deep in thought as she stood alone in the back yard. As deep in thought as someone could look from the back, anyway. My fingers touched the brass knob and I hesitated.

"I know you're there, Alex," Rosalie said, without turning around. "Please come out."

Her voice sounded muffled and far away, but I could still make out the words. My next breath hitched in my throat. I was suddenly nervous. What would I say? What would _she_ say? What would we talk about? There was no normal way to start the conversation that loomed ahead. My palms started to sweat. Rosalie finally turned around and looked at me expectantly through the glass. I forced myself to breathe again and turned the knob.

As I stepped out into the cool night air, she smiled softly at me, as though encouraging me. I gently closed the door behind me and approached Rosalie. _Aunt_ Rosalie. _Great_ Aunt Rosalie. That sounded so weird. Especially because the woman before me looked barely my age.

I stopped next to Rosalie, on the bank of a river that ran behind the large estate. Cue the awkward silence.

After several moments of looking at anything but each other and pretending to be enchanted by the surrounding forest and flowing water, I couldn't take it anymore.

"So," I began uncomfortably, "after 97 years, you're still alive."

Rosalie shook her head slightly and looked off into the distance again before I realized my mistake.

"Oh," I said. "Or… Un… alive…?"

She chuckled under her breath. "Yes," she said, turning to me. "I suppose I am still 'unalive'." She turned to look at me again. "Is anyone else… What I mean to say is, are you…"

"As far as I know I'm your only living relative left," I answered for her. "Grandpa Richie passed a few years back. Uncle Henry went before I was even born."

She nodded as though she'd expected as much.

"He was only five when you disappeared," I continued, "but Grandpa Richie was _always_ telling me stories about you. He really loved you. Everyone did."

"Yes," she agreed. "I know."

"Then why run away?" It was a question I'd always asked, but Grandpa Richie had had no idea. From what anyone could see, Rosalie had had the perfect life, about to marry a man who would make a perfect husband. It was a mystery that had spawned a slew of local legends.

"Was that the story? I ran away?" She shook her head. "I didn't run away. I wanted to be married. I was eager to start my life with Royce, have children... I just didn't know what kind of man Royce was. Sufficed to say, he was most certainly not the man everyone believed him to be."

"Did he have something to do with your disappearance?" I asked. I gasped, and whispered, "Did you kill him?"

The ghost of a smirk appeared around Rosalie's mouth. "He killed me first."

It took me a moment to process that statement. This whole vampire/undead thing was still new to me, and I was still getting used to the idea that the Cullens weren't exactly 'alive.'

"So Royce King murdered you," I summarized, as calmly as I could but not able to stop my voice from cracking on 'murdered.' "How did you become... like... how did...?"

"How did I become a vampire?"

I nodded.

"Carlisle found me," Rosalie continued. "Royce and his friends had left me for dead in the street. Carlisle smelled all the blood. He thought he was helping me by turning me."

"But you disagree?" I could tell by the tone in her voice that she held some bitterness.

"I wanted to raise my own family," she said. "Have my own children, grandchildren later on. But I'll never have that. We will always be what we are. The only one of us that's exempt is Renesmee. And now you. But from what we've learned from others of your kind, and from what Carlisle has learned in his research, you'll have stopped aging by now, and Renesmee will stop in another year or two."

I knew she was right. If Renesmee was really the same as me, if I was indeed half-vampire, she would stop aging soon.

"I've looked like this since I was about seven," I said softly. "Grandpa Richie coached me on what to say. I had to lie about my age a lot." I paused and took a breath. "Until he died, and then I kind of had to figure it out for myself. It wasn't too hard though."

"How long ago...?"

"I was five," I said. "Looked about 13. I bounced around foster homes for a couple years, and then, _walah._ I looked legal, made a few changes to some documents, and I was out on my own. I took my inheritance and moved to New York City, played around awhile before getting a job as a cop when I was actually 21, and here we are."

I forced a smile, but my facial muscles felt stiff and I quickly dropped it.

Rosalie shook her head and looked back out into the dark forest.

"After all these years thinking my human family was long gone," she said under her breath.

"Surpriiiiiise," I said.

Rosalie chuckled.

From behind us, the back door opened and light footsteps pranced happily in our direction. I hardly needed to look to know who it was.

"Sorry to interrupt," Alice's chipper voice called from about 47 feet behind us. "But Carlisle needs to see Lex in his office."

I turned and smiled. "Okay."

"Come on, I'll take you."

I stepped into the large office. The walls were lined with bookshelves, all full. A leather couch was up against one wall in between two bookshelves, and two leather chairs sat facing a large desk. Oak? Mahogany? I was no wood expert. But it was impressive, regardless.

Carlisle looked up from a slew of papers spread across the desktop and smiled warmly at me, setting his pen down.

"Alex," he said as he stood and motioned toward one of the chairs. "Please, have a seat."

As I did, he pulled a leather bag out from behind the desk and walked over to me with it. I hoped there would be no needles involved. _Cringe_.

"No need to be anxious," he told me calmly. "I'll be very quick. You'll barely even feel it."

I nodded and took a deep breath. "Okay."

He opened the bag and began to pull something out. I looked away and occupied myself with the book titles stacked on the walls.

"Did you have a good conversation with Rosalie?" Carlisle asked.

I answered without looking in his direction. "I guess, as good as it could have been under the circumstances. Meeting your 97 year old aunt who looks about as young as you are doesn't exactly make for the smoothest of interactions."

I heard a small chuckle. "No," Carlisle agreed. "No, it doesn't. Okay, Alex, hold your head as still as possible."

I almost nodded, then realized that would entail moving my head, so I refrained and instead whispered, "Okay."

A few moments passed in silence. I felt a faint tugging at my scalp where Carlisle was pulling the stitches out. But I couldn't take the silence for long.

"So, what am I supposed to do now?" I asked.

The tugging stopped momentarily, and then started up again. I'd caught him off guard.

"That's entirely your decision, Alexandra," Carlisle said as he worked. "You are, of course, welcome into our home any time. Rosalie is a part of this family, and so, by extension, are you now." The tugging stopped and I heard Carlisle set something aside. "All done," he said. I breathed a sigh of relief and turned to face him.

"Most groups of vampires refer to themselves as covens," Carlisle continued. "We refer to our group as our family. And we are very tight-knit. There are no secrets within our family."

"So then what's with the mutant wolves?" I asked.

Carlisle hesitated.

"No one seems to want to tell me," I continued. "If you're going to call me family, and there are no secrets within your family, then I want to know why I was almost eaten this morning."

I saw a hint of a grin and Carlisle began to clean up the medical tools he had used.

"They weren't going to eat you," he said. "And they're not actually wolves. They're part of the local Native American tribe, the Quileute. We have an alliance, of sorts. They're shapeshifters."

Aha. Shapeshifters. Of course. I had to remind myself that I was in a house full of vampires, several of whom were well over a hundred years old, and that in the grand scheme of things shapeshifters were not a big deal.

"So if they weren't looking for breakfast, why were they attacking me? Just to rip me to shreds for fun?"

"They smelled you," Carlisle explained, leaning back against his desk. "You see, we are their natural enemy. Years ago, we made a treaty with them. As long as we stay off their land, and don't bite a human, they leave us alone. It has since become more complicated, but long story short they leave us be while any other vampire who is unfortunate enough to enter the area is fair game. In your case, they picked up your scent and when they investigated, things got a little… out of hand."

"Out of hand?" I asked incredulously. "All I was trying to do was get into my house, and these massive wolves came out of nowhere! I ran to the car and one of them lunged at me! Then they chased me down the road!"

Carlisle held up a hand to stop my rant, nodding. "I have spoken with Sam, the leader, and it has been cleared up. You were just defending yourself against a perceived threat. And now that we're aware of your situation, we won't let that happen again. But they do want to meet with you, just to see for themselves that you're not a threat to them."

My jaw dropped. I was supposed to go and meet these feral monsters who, despite what Carlisle assured me, I was pretty sure were about to have me as a snack mere hours ago? Was he crazy?

"Calm, Alex," Carlisle said. "We won't let you go alone. They don't mean you any harm, but the wolves can be… unpredictable at times."

I closed my jaw and processed what he was saying. The attack before was just a misunderstanding. These gargantuan, shapeshifting human-wolves were actually the good guys.

In a nutshell, I was attacked for no reason.

Someone owed me a new car.

"Okay," I conceded. "When are we doing this?"

"I told them you'd need a few days to recuperate," he told me. "I don't want to overwhelm you at once. I also talked to Chief Swan-"

"Wait," I interrupted. "Why? I need to start work, I've got bills to pay, I just bought a house!"

"Chief Swan is more than understanding, Alex. And we need to keep up human appearances. Getting over head trauma in less than a day doesn't help with that. As for bills, if you need help, we always help our family."

I wasn't sure what to say. Here was a man... No. Here was a vampire... Um... Here was _someone_ I had just met earlier that day, already offering to help me out as if I were his own. He really had no relation to me, except an obscure connection through my great-aunt whom I'd never previously met and who, until a few hours ago, didn't even know I existed. In the course of one day, Carlisle had already done so much for me, and I had no idea what to say in return except,

"Thank you."

Carlisle smiled. "Think nothing of it. Now, you must be tired. I'll let Rosalie know we're done, I'm sure she'd love to drive you home. Unless you'd like to stay here. We have an extra guest room."

"Thanks," I said. "But I'd like to go home. I still have tons of unpacking to do."

* * *

**A Note From The Author:** Meh.

Rosalie turns out to be not so easy to write for. What have I gotten myself into? *facepalm*

Please leave a review, even if you hated it, but especially if you loved it! No pressure, but it really helps to know if you're enjoying what craziness my brain concocts.

Read on!

Ren


	7. Knock Knock, Who's There?

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, and to everyone who has put this story on alert. I appreciate you taking the time to not only read this, but to give me feedback as well. Please review again and continue to enjoy Family Ties. :)

Thanks again, Mel Cooley :)

So Breaking Dawn comes out Friday. But probably no one here is going to see it, right? ;)

**Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, it's not mine. If you don't recognize it, it's probably still not mine. Alex is mine. All things _Twilight_ belong to Stephanie Meyer. Now on with the story!

**Before:**

_In the course of one day, Carlisle had already done so much for me, and I had no idea what to say in return except,_

_"Thank you."_

_Carlisle smiled. "Think nothing of it. Now, you must be tired. I'll let Rosalie know we're done, I'm sure she'd love to drive you home. Unless you'd like to stay here. We have an extra guest room."_

_"Thanks," I said. "But I'd like to go home. I still have tons of unpacking to do."_

**Now:**

I was hot. I kicked the sheets off of me.

Still not quite comfortable. I flipped onto my stomach.

Now I was cold. I flipped over onto my back and pulled the sheets back up to my chin.

Nope. Still not cutting it.

I sighed loudly, exasperated, and finally kicked off the covers one last time in defeat. I was way too wired to sleep. The events of the day had me feeling like I had to do something, _anything_, to keep busy. I had far too much excess energy.

I rolled off the bed and made my way downstairs, flipping light switches as I went. Maybe this would be a good thing. I still had a lot of unpacking to do, and wasn't due into my new job until just under 24 hours from now.

I stopped in the archway between the entryway and the living room, shaking my head. The room was filled with boxes, stacked halfway to the ceiling. At least the big stuff had been set up by the movers already, and the cable guy had come the day before. I moved to the TV stand and turned it on, flipping to Adult Swim for mindless background chatter, and then reached up to the nearest pile and pulled a box down.

Movies. Easy enough. I ripped open the top and began quickly filling the DVD racks, not bothering to hide my super speed. I was in my own home, after all, and if someone was peeping through the window, well, shame on them. Maybe one of those giant wolves would eat them.

Half an hour later, I'd put away all the movies, video games, and CDs, and hooked up the consoles. A whole corner of the room was clear. I picked another box from another pile and plopped onto the couch with it in my lap. Photos. I dove right in, again ripping the top open, but paused when I realized which album had been packed on top. It was the kind with a slot in the cover so you can put your favorite photo right on the front. This one was of Grandpa Richie and me. I looked about five, so really I was less than two years old. He was holding me up above his head, as though he were mid toss. We were both laughing. I remembered this day. We had gone to the Seneca Park Zoo and I had loved the Bornean Orangutan so much...

"_Why don't you just marry him then?" Grandpa Richie had asked. _

_I looked up at his wrinkled face incredulously, but then seeing his eyes crinkle and his lips pull up, I knew he was just being silly._

"_Silly Grandpa," I had said. "It's not a_him_, it's a_her_! Look!" And I pointed at the sign with the Orangutan's name printed on it: Kumang. _

_Grandpa Richie had leaned closer, pulling out his glasses so he could read the small print._

"_Ah," he'd said. "So she_is_a her. Very good, Lexi."_

_I had stepped forward and began to read about Kumang. _

"_Look, Grandpa! It says she was born in England and just arrived here this year." I had paused and looked into the habitat where Kumang was housed. I could see her sitting behind a tree, shyly peeking out curiously. She looked so lonely._

"_Do you think she misses home?" I asked after a moment._

"_I don't know, kiddo," Grandpa Richie had answered. "Would you?"_

_I nodded solemnly. "Yes. Every day."_

_Just as I had started to feel sad for Kumang, she suddenly jumped up and grasped the bottommost branch of the tree and started swinging her way up toward the top._

"_Oh wow, Grandpa, look at that!" Despite my somewhat advanced maturity for a toddler, I started jumping up and down and pointing. I looked up at Grandpa Richie to make sure he was watching. "Can I try that when we get home? I bet I could make it to the top of the big tree in front of our house!"_

_Grandpa Richie had laughed and bent down to pick me up. "I bet you could, too! You like the Orangutan, huh, sport?"_

"_I love her!"_

"_Oh, you love her? Maybe you could go join her. How about I just toss you right in with her?"_

"_Grandpa, no, I want to go home with you!"_

_We were both laughing and he started to tickle my sides. I started giggling uncontrollably._

"_Oh, now the little munchkin wants to come home with Grandpa Richie, huh?" he asked still tickling me. "How about you just go play with her a little while? How about that?" He tossed me playfully above his head, feigning a toss into the habitat. I knew there was no way he could have thrown me over the fence, and even if he could have, he wouldn't, but I shrieked anyway, and laughed again when I landed right back in his hands._

"_Oops, I missed," he said. "Let's try again!"_

"_Grandpa!" I shrieked as I flew back into the air and back down again._

_As I landed back in his hands, a flash went off in my peripheral vision. Both our heads snapped to it. We hadn't been aware anyone had been watching._

"_Sorry," a woman with a stroller said sheepishly. "You two are just so adorable. I thought you'd like a picture."_

_She pulled the film from the Polaroid camera she held and held it out to Grandpa Richie. He shifted me to one arm and took it with his free hand._

"_Thank you, miss," he said. "That was very thoughtful of you."_

_She smiled back. "Enjoy the zoo," she said as she pushed the stroller away._

_Grandpa Richie turned back to me. "You ready to go look at the other animals?"_

"_I want to see the polar bears!"_

I stared down at the old Polaroid not realizing that the water droplets now sitting on it were my tears until another one fell and splashed across the plastic covering.

"_Shit_," I whispered. I quickly dried the album's cover with my sleeve before any salt water could seep inside and damage anything. Once I'd dried the cover, I lost myself in the photo again. It was a cold Rochester winter. There was snow in the background, blanketing the ground. Both of our cheeks and the tips of our noses were a rosy red and our breaths expelled from our mouths in foggy clouds. Grandpa was in his black wool trench coat and old fedora with the brown feathers stuck in it, and I could barely make out a gloved hand holding me. My tiny self was bundled up in a thick, pink snow coat. I remembered that coat. I'd hated it. I had loved that blue hat with the earflaps and pom-pom on top, however, and the matching mittens.

The doorbell rang.

I paused what I was doing and looked toward the front door. My head swung slowly to the cable box to check the time. 1:37 am.

Who is ringing my doorbell at 1:37 am?

I set the photo album carefully aside on the sofa and put the box on the floor before going to the door. I peeked out the small window on the side and saw a flash of bright blond hair.

Rosalie?

I quickly wiped away any remaining tears from my face before I opened the door and met her gaze.

"H-Hi," I stammered. "What's up?"

She looked around her quickly before looking back at me. "May I come in?"

Barely thinking, I stepped to the side and closed the door once she'd stepped in.

She looked around her, taking in the entryway of my house before turning back to me.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

That caught me off guard. Emotionally I was a mess at the moment. Physically I was perfectly fine.

"You dropped me off almost three hours ago. What could have happened since then to make you think I wasn't okay?" I parried.

She hesitated. I was only going to get a half truth.

"I was passing by and I caught the scent of one of the wolves," she explained. "I saw your light on so I thought I'd check."

"Oh," was all I could think to say. _Clever, Lexi, real clever._

Awkward silence ensued.

"So what are you still doing up?" Rosalie asked eventually.

I shrugged. "I couldn't sleep," I said. "So I started unpacking."

"Would you like some help?"

"Sure," I said. "That'd be great."

I led her into the living room and picked the box of photo albums up from the floor, setting it on the couch.

"I already did the movies and stuff," I said. "The movers just stacked everything in here, so there's still kitchen stuff and bedroom things in here."

Rosalie started toward one stack, but paused when she saw the album I had paused on. She looked at it for a moment before slowly moving to pick it up.

"Is this Richie?" she asked.

"Yeah," I answered. "Back in '91. He had taken me to the zoo."

She looked up from the cover. "Do you mind?"

I shook my head. "Not at all, go ahead."

While she perused, I started to load the rest of the albums onto the bookshelves next to the couch, and then started on the books.

"You know, I remember when this zoo was only a pond and an aviary," Rosalie said after several minutes. "They didn't add the main building until a couple of years before..."

She trailed off, and I understood what she was referring to.

"Trout Pond," I said, more to break the tension than anything else. "Yeah, they didn't really start to add anything huge until the late '90's. But when he took me, they had apes and polar bears. And a petting zoo."

I sat on the sofa and watched the pictures flip by, most of my life crammed into one book.

"You two look so happy," Rosalie commented.

I nodded. "We were," I said. I took a breath, mustering the courage to say what I needed to next. She needed to know. I couldn't stand this unconditional acceptance if it was based on a lie. "We were," I repeated, "until I ruined everything."

Rosalie looked up from the photos with curiosity splashed across her face. I immediately stared intently at the floor. I couldn't keep eye contact while I confessed my darkest secret.

"When I was five," I began, "_actually_ five, I looked like a tween. I guess like Renesmee does now. Grandpa Richie home schooled me, and he didn't really take me out too often. My body was changing too quickly, people would notice. He was afraid someone would start asking questions and he didn't want me taken away by some scientist to be tested. At least that's what he told me. I think he knew though. What I was. He had to have."

I stopped to take a breath. Aqua Teen Hunger Force drabbled on in the background and I was vaguely aware of a group of Mexican jumping beans putting on a musical show on the screen.

"So one day," I continued, struggling to control my voice, "he went out to the store. I was five, looked 13, but was far more mature. I'd never disobeyed him before. He had no reason to think..." I stopped abruptly and stifled the sob that was about to work its way out. I took a moment to compose myself. "I should have known better. I _did _know better. But it was snowing and it was so beautiful. I rarely got to go out and play in it. He was going to be gone for a while, and the snow was falling at such a fast pace, it would cover up my footprints. He'd never know. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him, right?"

I sniffled. I couldn't keep my voice from wavering anymore. I wiped my eyes and kept going.

"I put on all my snow gear and went out. I shouldn't have gone into the front yard. I shouldn't have gone out at all, but I should have at least had the sense to stay in the back yard. But I went to the front. The snowflakes were those huge, fluffy ones, you know? And it had already covered the ground. I wasn't out there long. I had caught a few flakes on my tongue and picked some snow up from the hedges. A girl was walking by. She looked about 13 as well. We looked at each other, natural curiosity. But then she walked over.

"'Who are you?' she'd asked. 'You don't live here.'

"'I do,' I'd answered. 'I live here with my grandfather.'

"'No, the old man lives here with some little kid,' she'd retorted. 'I've never seen you before. You're trespassing. I'm gonna tell my mom, and she'll call the cops.'

"Now I was starting to realize what a bad idea this had been. I was mentally kicking myself. How could I have been so stupid? I was about to ruin everything. So I turned and started back to the house. She didn't like that.

"'Hey, I'm not done talking to you,' she had called after me. 'Hey, freak, get out of their yard!'

"I was perfectly content to ignore her and keep going. I knew I was a freak. Grandpa Richie called me special, but I knew it was just a nice way to say that I was different. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to punch her in the face. But I knew it would just cause more problems. So I kept walking. Until the snowball hit me in the back of the head. That's when I stopped. I slowly turned on the spot to face her. She was already packing the next snowball together. I still didn't react, not yet. She wound up to throw.

"'You don't want to do that.' I'd tried to warn her, I really had. If she had just left me alone...

"'Why, what are you gonna do about it, freak?'

"She threw it. It hit me square in the face. I pulled off my gloves and dropped them to the ground. I don't know what I was thinking. I mean, I know I was mad. I didn't even know if it would work with snow. She just had added the last straw and I needed to let it out, some how."

I sat for a moment. It was hard enough remembering, but this was the first time I'd retold this story, except for when I told Grandpa Richie.

"Alex," Rosalie said quietly. "What happened?"

I shook my head and hid my face in my hands.

"I threw all the snow at her. _All_ of it. It was almost funny, until I realized that she was buried. Completely. All the snow from our yard and some from the neighbor's was gathered into one pile, completely covering this girl. And that was when Grandpa Richie pulled up. He'd seen the end of the confrontation as he was driving down the block. He jumped out of the car and dug her out. Needless to say, she _really_ thought I was a freak then. That's all she was screaming as she ran home. Grandpa Richie sent me into the house so he could try to scatter the snow back around the yard. Sometime later, a couple of cops came knocking at the door. Grandpa explained to them that we'd just had a snowball fight, and that girl was mad that she was losing. They seemed to believe him and left. We moved a week later. Less than a month after that, he had a heart attack and died."

A moment of silence passed before Rosalie softly said my name.

"That sounds more like an unfortunate accident. You can't blame yourself. You didn't know what would happen."

"But I should have known what could possibly happen," I shot back. I'd had this argument with myself plenty of times. I was prepared with any answer. I turned slightly to face Rosalie. "If I hadn't gone outside, like I _knew_ I shouldn't have, that never would have happened. We never would have had to move and Grandpa Richie wouldn't have had a heart attack."

"You can't know-"

"The house we lived in," I interrupted fiercely, "was the same house you grew up in. He didn't want to leave it. I think he felt like if he stayed, maybe you'd come back one day. And he didn't want strangers there if you did. He had the heart attack the day he closed on the house." I looked back at the floor. "I've never told anyone else this," I continued quietly, "but I feel like you need to know. And I understand if you never want to see me again."

To my utter shock, she _laughed_. "Why would I never want to see you again?"

My eyes snapped to hers in disbelief. "Because I murdered your brother?" I suggested slowly. I looked away again. "I caused his death just as much as I caused my mother's, even if not as directly. I'm a murderer."

"Alexandra." She was serious again. "Is that really what you've been thinking all these years?" I nodded. "Richie was your grandfather. He raised you. Do you think he would blame you?"

I thought for a moment. "He was too good a person for that," I finally said.

"You can't keep carrying all this guilt around," Rosalie insisted. "You were young, you made a mistake. From the sound of it, you were an all around good kid. He loved you. He wouldn't want you to blame yourself for his death. He chose to move. Only one person saw you, correct? And she sounds like a little bitch. Who would believe her?"

I shrugged.

"And as for your mother, she made the ultimate sacrifice so that you could live," Rosalie continued. "That's nothing to feel guilty about. In fact, that's more like an insult to her memory than anything. If I were able to have a child, I would do the same. I would give up my life for my baby if it meant he or she would live a full, wonderful life."

I couldn't think of anything to say, so I kept quiet with my eyes fixed on the floor.

Rosalie stood and put the photo album onto a bookshelf with the others and then came to stand in front of me.

"I didn't come here to watch you mope," she said, pulling up on my arm. "Are we unpacking or what?"

The sun was just barely cresting the horizon when we finally put the last glass into the cupboard over the stove. The boxes were all flattened and tied, ready to go out with the recycling. I was officially moved in. We looked at each other and smiled.

"So you start work tonight, right?" Rosalie asked.

"Yeah," I said. "Midnight on the dot."

"How are you getting there? Carlisle told us about your car."

Oh right. My car. That I no longer had.

"I hadn't thought about that yet," I sighed. "I don't think my insurance covers pursuit by giant wolves."

Rosalie chuckled. "How about I give you a ride?"

I shrugged one shoulder. "Okay, cool."

"I'm going to come early, though. There's something we want you to try out. So I'll come by around seven?"

"Okay, sure," I said. "I'll be ready."

Rosalie smiled as I opened the front door for her, and then reached down to hug me. This was the most contact I'd had with any of them, and it was a little unnerving. It was like hugging a statue. A cold statue that moved.

She broke the hug and stepped out toward a red BMW that sat in my driveway.

"I'll see you tonight," she called over her shoulder.

I smiled and waved before closing and locking the door. I sighed a little more loudly than necessary and headed up the stairs. It felt good to be completely done unpacking. We had used our vampire and half-vampire speeds to our advantage. The only thing that slowed us down was that Rosalie had to keep stopping to ask me where I wanted things to go. And we had gotten the blackout curtains hung, so sleeping as the sun came up should be no problem.

Except, as I lied down on my warm, inviting bed, the doorbell rang again. Had Rosalie forgotten something? But I hadn't heard the car pull back into the driveway. Not wanting to go all the way back downstairs for a Jehovah's Witness, I went to the window, pulled back the curtain and threw up the glass pane.

"Who is it?" I called.

I heard some shuffling from the porch below, and then footsteps thundered down the stairs and finally I saw who had rung my bell as he stepped onto the walkway and looked up at me. He looked to be somewhere in his twenties or so, tanned skin, short, dark hair and matching dark eyes. But what struck me the most was his outfit. He wore white sneakers, Nikes maybe, and ripped denim shorts. His shirt, you ask? Oh, he had no shirt. November in northwestern Washington state, and this kid had no shirt. Not that I was complaining, it was a nice view. I hoped this wasn't some prank, that one of my new colleagues hadn't sent a Strip-O-Gram to my house. I looked around for his car, maybe it had an ad on the side, but there were no vehicles in sight.

"Can I help you?" I asked out the window.

"Hi," he said cheerily, with a big dopey grin on his face. "Um, I'm sorry to bother you so early."

"It's fine," I said. "What do you want?"

"My name is Seth, Seth Clearwater," he said. "We met yesterday, but there was a slight misunderstanding and I didn't have a chance to introduce myself."

I was confused for a moment. What misunder-

_Oh._

"You were part of that welcoming committee yesterday?" I asked.

"Uh, yeah," he answered sheepishly.

I nodded, completely calm. "I'll be right down."

As I pulled back to close the window, I swear I saw his face light up like I'd just told him he'd won a new shirt.

I made my way downstairs, not bothering with keeping up the appearance of putting a sweater on. I went out the door and saw Seth Clearwater still standing on my walkway, still grinning like an idiot. As I approached, he held out his hand and opened his mouth to say something. But before he could, I made a fist and popped him straight on the nose.

"Ow!" he shrieked. His hands immediately flew to his face as blood spurted out between his fingers. I heard a crack as he reset his broken nose.

"What the hell was that for?" he shouted. "I came to apologize!"

"Because of _you_ and your pack of _filthy_," I shoved him in the chest and he stepped backward, "_stinking_," I shoved him again, "_flea-bitten mutts,"_another shove, "my car is _totaled_!" One last shove, just to make my point. I put all my strength into that one, and he stumbled back, barely catching himself before he fell.

Normally, shoving someone that hard may have landed them in the street. I didn't take it personally though. If he was a werewolf, we probably had similar strengths.

"Do you understand what that means?" I asked, calm again. "It means that I have no car. And since I've just bought a house, I have no money to buy a new car. And since my insurance doesn't cover run-ins with the supernatural, somebody _owes_ me a car."

He finished wiping the blood from his face and wiped his hands on his shorts, smearing them with it.

"Look, I'm really sorry about your car," he said. "As soon as I saw you, I tried to get Sam to back down, but he wouldn't hear it. It wasn't supposed to happen like that. We just had to make sure you weren't a threat."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "You could have _asked_."

Seth nodded. "I really am sorry that it happened like that. Can I make it up to you?"

"You gonna buy me a new car?"

"I would if I could," he said quietly. He put his hands in his pockets and suddenly found my driveway very interesting. "I was wondering, could I maybe take you to dinner sometime?"

I stared at him for a while, not moving. I stared so long that I could see he was getting uncomfortable and he eventually looked at me again.

"Please?" he added.

I shook my head in disbelief and walked back into the house, making sure to lock the door behind me.

**A Brief Note From the Author: **So once again, I apologize that updates are so far and few in between. Real-life grown up stuff likes to interfere. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It got a teensy bit emotional, but I felt that using flashbacks was the best way to bring out a good chunk of Alex's past. I hope Rosalie stayed in character :-/

What did you think of Seth? Did you get the hint?

What could the Cullens have planned for Alex?

**Giraffe: **And I like your new name ;)

**Emmettlover4everandalways: **I'm glad you're still liking it!

**McFoster:** Thank you very much! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too, and the next one isn't far away!

**4MeJasper:** Thank you so much for the reviews! I am so glad you're enjoying my craziness, and I hope this chapter was up to par for you!

For everyone else who is reading but didn't review, thanks for taking the time to read and I hope you are also enjoying the ride.

As always, please leave a review, even if you hated it, but especially if you loved it!

You may friend me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, or e-mail me anytime. Just search for Renee Goetz, or check my profile for links and/or my e-mail address.

Read on!

_Ren_


	8. You Want Me To Do WHAT, Now?

You Want Me To Do What, Now?

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, and to everyone who has put this story on alert. I appreciate you taking the time to not only read this, but to give me feedback as well. Please review again and continue to enjoy Family Ties. :)

Thanks again, Mel Cooley :)

PS: Everything in the last chapter about the Seneca Park Zoo is true. I used to go there as a kid and it was kinda crappy, but it's really improved. I don't remember Kumang, unfortunately, but I probably did see her at some point. And it might interest you to know that since her arrival in 1991, she has had a daughter, Dara. Which turns out to be kind of a big deal because the father was born in the wild. Anyway. Enough of my blather. If you want more info, just Google Seneca Park Zoo.

**Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, it's not mine. If you don't recognize it, it's probably still not mine. Alex is mine. All things _Twilight_ belong to Stephanie Meyer. Now on with the story!

* * *

**Before:**

"_I was wondering, could I maybe take you to dinner sometime?"_

_I stared at him for a while. I stared so long that I could see he was getting uncomfortable and he eventually looked at me again._

"_Please?" he added._

_I shook my head in disbelief and walked back into the house, making sure to lock the door behind me._

**Now:**

_It was bright and warm outside in the sun. My skin faintly reflected the light, making me look as though I had a happy glow. I loved days like this. I lounged in the front yard of my childhood home, soaking up the sun's rays, daydreaming of a far off prince charming, a future that was still a mystery to me. _

_I heard approaching footsteps, and opened my eyes. It was no longer warm and sunny. The sky was a dull gray, and white, fluffy flakes descended from above, landing all around me. I watched the source of the footsteps come closer._

_It was Seth Clearwater._

"_Why are you lying in the snow in a T-shirt?" he asked. "You're a freak."_

_My blood boiled. I didn't like that. A breeze blew his scent toward me, and I began to salivate. He smelled delicious._

"Don't_call__me__a__freak,__" __I__hissed__at__him,__standing__up._

"_Freak!" he called. "Lexi's a freak! Freak, freak, freak, freak!"_

_I snapped. I was suddenly on top of him on the ground, the blanket of pure, white snow stained bright red around him, the burning in the back of my throat soothed at last…_

I awoke with a jolt, out of breath and sweaty.

Again.

If this didn't ease up soon, I was going to have to find a shrink. I reached over to switch off the incessant alarm on my nightstand and hopped out of bed, wiping sweat out of my stinging eyes. I went to the window and stared out at the darkening sky for a moment. At least the dream was changing now. I hated monotony. And it made me realize something that I should have realized that morning.

While I was in constant worry of my nightmares coming true and actually attacking someone to drink their blood, Seth's blood had done nothing for me that morning. I had punched him, broken his nose, and his blood had spilled out immediately. But it didn't do anything to aggravate those constant flames in the back of my throat, not like when Grandpa Richie had cut his hand on a kitchen knife and I had rushed toward him unthinking. I had been small enough that he was able to push me back so I didn't get a taste. And that hadn't been too big of a cut. Seth _gushed_ blood a mere two feet away from me and I wasn't drawn to it in the slightest. I wondered what that meant.

And then there was Seth himself, and yet another thing that cursed dream made me think of. He'd asked me out. To dinner. Had he meant like, on a _date_? That thought terrified me. I didn't exactly socialize a whole lot, for obvious reasons. There _had_ been one guy back in New York. Just one. It didn't turn out so well. I hated to keep secrets, especially from someone I cared about. So after that last… _debacle_, I just didn't bother. And fat chance anyone would want me if they knew the truth.

_Hi, I'm Alex and I have vivid, lifelike dreams about going on a rampage and sucking the blood out of anyone I come in contact with. Oh, and I'm insanely strong and fast, and have this ability to move things without touching them. You wanna grab a beer?_

Yeah. That would work out in my favor.

But Seth knew what I was already. He'd seen my power firsthand, and apparently knew I was half-vampire (I mentally stuttered over the word; I still wasn't used to it) before I did. And he'd still asked me to dinner. It was actually kind of cute. He had seemed so nervous. Of course, it couldn't have helped that I had just broken his nose. He wasn't bad to look at, either. And he had to know, why else would he be strutting his stuff around with no shirt? Of course, I could just be over-thinking everything. Maybe he just felt bad about my car. It couldn't be a date. Weren't vampires and werewolves natural enemies? Although, I was only _half_-vamp. Did that count for anything?

With a sigh, I turned away from the window and glanced at the clock. I had an hour to get ready before Rosalie came for me.

I rushed to the bathroom.

* * *

I ran the comb through my hair one last time just as the doorbell rang. I glanced at the clock. Seven on the dot. I threw my phone into my pocket, tossed my jacket on and flashed down the stairs to the door, opening it with a smile.

"Ready?" Rosalie asked.

"Yup," I said.

I stepped out onto the porch and closed and locked the door before following Rosalie to, not the red BMW I expected, but a large, white, off-roading Jeep. It was already running, and someone was in the driver's seat.

Rosalie jumped into the passenger seat and I followed suit in the back. As I closed the door I looked up front and saw the driver was none other than the Hulk. I still didn't know what we were doing, but he seemed like a fun guy, so it couldn't be horrible, whatever it was. But as Emmett started to pull out of my driveway, no one was talking and the suspense was killing me.

"So where are we going?" I asked.

Emmett's eyes met mine in the rear view mirror, and crinkled as he smiled. "Oh, you'll see, Lex," he answered. I couldn't decide if the mischievous tone was intended or not.

Rosalie turned in her seat to face me. "Not far," she elaborated. "Into the forest a little ways. The others are meeting us there."

"Others?" My voice cracked slightly. "Please tell me you haven't been planning some ritualistic sacrifice this whole time."

Emmett laughed loudly and heartily. I was surprised he was able to keep the Jeep from swerving, especially when I glanced at the speedometer and saw the needle pointing at 85.

Rosalie chuckled and shook her head. "You'll see. We want to keep it a surprise."

"Why?" I asked.

But all she said was, "You'll see," as she turned back to face the front.

Now I was nervous. What could they possibly have planned for me to "try" out in the woods? Zip lining? Realizing neither would elaborate any further, I sat back in the seat and resigned myself to staring out the window at the passing scenery. Eventually we turned into the trees, onto a somewhat narrow dirt road, that was more like a worn pathway, barely visible from the road. After a few more minutes of bumping and jarring, Emmett brought the Jeep to a halt at the end of the path and killed the engine. He hopped out and flashed over to the other side, opening the door for Rosalie and helping her out, then turning his attention to me.

I'd already had the door partially open when Emmett pulled it open the rest of the way and pulled me out. He had a huge grin on his face. I looked between him and Rosalie, unsure.

"You're gonna love this, Lex!" he told me, practically bouncing up and down. "They're waiting just up ahead, come on!"

Emmett took off and I looked at Rosalie, who smiled warmly.

"It's okay," she assured me.

Emmett was back in a blur, picking me up from the ground and tucking me under his arm, almost like I was a football. "You two are taking too long!"

Before I could register what was happening, the surrounding foliage was a brown blur, and the wind was blowing through my hair. As suddenly as we had taken off, we stopped and Emmett dropped me on my feet.

I was in the middle of a loose circle, surrounded by Rosalie, Emmett, Edward, Renesmee, and Scarface, in a small clearing. I caught Edward's irritated expression out of my peripheral and mentally corrected myself. _Jasper_. Edward visibly relaxed.

"Hey guys," I chuckled out nervously, slowly turning on the spot. "What's up?"

As I rotated, my nervousness spiked dramatically. I didn't like being surrounded like this. But as suddenly as it came on, it was gone and I was feeling somewhat serene and at ease.

"Can I tell her now?" Emmett asked, almost as a whine. "Please?"

"Oh, go ahead," Rosalie said, exasperated.

"We're going to take you hunting!" The joy on Emmett's face lit up his features like a light bulb.

I, however, did not share his joy. Hunting? I'd never been hunting before. When it came to handguns, I could break most down and put them back together in less than a minute. I could hit a target dead center, fifty yards away, with my weak hand. But I'd never handled a rifle before. And could I take out some innocent animal as it looked back at me? A scene from _My__Cousin__Vinny_flashed through my head. You know the one, when Marisa Tomei is going on about the baby deer stopping for a drink at the brook? I wasn't sure I was up for this.

"Not _that_ kind of hunting," Edward butted in.

My forehead scrunched. "What other kind is-?" My voice trailed off as I slowly put the pieces together. My head snapped up and I looked from one vampire to another in rapid succession. "You can't expect- I-I can't, I can't do that!"

They were right to keep it a surprise. I never would have gotten in the car if I'd known what we were doing. I was on the verge of hyperventilating when, once again, my panic began to wane and I could breathe more easily. I slowed my movements, and as my gaze passed over Jasper, I noticed a look of intense concentration. I stopped and refocused on him.

"It's you," I said simply. It made sense now. I could move things. Renesmee could project images into the minds of others, Edward could hear thoughts, and Jasper… Jasper had some kind of ability to calm or relieve tension. It made me wonder what the rest of them could do.

"Every time I start to freak out, I calm right down," I continued. "You're doing that, aren't you?"

"My… _gift_," Jasper said wryly. It suddenly occurred to me that he was the only one I hadn't heard speak yet. I was surprised to notice a hint of a southern drawl. "To put it simply, I have an empathic ability."

"That's useful," I said.

"So let's hunt already!" Emmett exclaimed impatiently. "Time's ticking!"

I rolled my eyes and turned to Renesmee.

"It definitely helps?" I asked, still unsure.

She smiled in return. "Definitely."

I took a deep breath. "Okay," I said. "What do I do?"

"Whoo!" Emmett yelled from behind me.

_Jeez.__Excited__much?_ I suppressed another eyeroll.

"It's easy," Renesmee assured me. "You just have to let your instincts take over."

"My instincts tell me to hit the closest steakhouse," I said.

"We'll start simple," Edward put in. "There is a small herd of deer nearby."

_Deer?__Really?_ "How nearby?" I asked instead.

Edward cocked his head to the side. "You tell me."

I sighed, and looked around the loose circle again, silently asking for help. I got nothing. Emmett even went as far as shaking his head and grinning.

I looked back to Edward. "How am I supposed to know?" I asked.

Renesmee smiled warmly. "Watch me," she said.

I did. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, slowly, as though she was analyzing what was in the air. A small smile graced her face and she opened her eyes to look at me again.

"Just like that," she told me. "Try to pick apart all the different scents and zero in on your target. And listen. Try to hear what's beyond what you can see. It helps if you close your eyes."

Another quick glance around at the group, a deep sigh, and I did as she suggested. I closed my eyes and listened. I listened to the light breeze that rustled the tree branches above us. Above that, some kind of bird flew overhead, it's feathers fighting against the friction of the wind to keep aloft. To the south of us, a creek babbled.

"Too far," Edward muttered.

I backed it up a bit, to slightly north of the creek, a half mile or so. Now I heard it. Heavy breathing, footsteps, a munching sound and… what _was_that? It was a kind of thumping but not footsteps. And it sounded… _wet_.

"You're hearing their heartbeats," Edward explained. "What do you smell?"

I pulled in air through my nose. I smelled the cool, crisp air. I smelled the damp earth, rotting wood, dead leaves. I shook my head slightly. That was it.

No it wasn't.

Another, stronger, breeze blew by from the south and brought with it a new scent, not entirely pleasant. I wrinkled my nose as I focused on it. It was somewhat earthy, but not entirely like actual dirt. There was a level of sweetness to it, too, but not exactly appetizing. Bittersweet may have been a better term.

"I think I got them," I said. I opened my eyes and pointed in the direction the scent came from. "That way."

"How far?" Jasper asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know," I said incredulously. "They _sound_ far. How am I supposed to judge distance?"

"They're about a mile and a half," he answered. "You'll learn how to determine how far your prey is. It just takes practice."

I nodded. "If you say so," I said. I turned back to Renesmee. "Now what?"

"Well, you're thirsty, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," I said. "That smell does nothing for me though."

"Because your natural instinct is to hunt humans," Edward explained. "Animals are an acquired taste."

"Do you still hear their heartbeats?" Renesmee asked.

"Yeah."

"Focus on that," she said. "The warm, thick blood that's pumping through their veins. How one taste will put that fire in your throat right out. All it takes is one-"

I didn't hear the rest of what she was saying. I shot off toward the herd of deer. The trees went by in a blur, though not as much of a blur as when Emmett had run with me. Full blood vampires were clearly faster than us halflings.

About two minutes later, I was in sight of the deer. A large buck looked up, startled, but that's all he had time for as I was on him in a flash, tackling him to ground and sinking my teeth into his large neck. Hot, thick blood gushed into my mouth and I swallowed continuously, chugging it all down. Renesmee was right, the burn was almost immediately extinguished.

A couple more minutes went by and suddenly it dawned on me just exactly what I was doing. I was on the forest floor, on top of a 14-point buck, drinking its blood. I unclenched my jaw and slowly pulled back. The rest of the herd had scattered by now, but I felt the Cullens gathered behind me, watching. I wiped my mouth with my hand and wiped it on the dead grass and turned to face them.

"What just happened?" I asked shakily.

Rosalie beamed proudly while Emmett grinned. "You were awesome, little niece!" he exclaimed.

He was of absolutely no help.

Edward stifled a laugh.

_Neither __are __you,_ I thought at him.

"You feel better, right?" I saw Renesmee speak from behind Edward, who I noticed was keeping her half hidden behind him. Afraid I would attack?

"Just being cautious," Edward answered my thought. "Once the bloodlust hits, we can be a little unpredictable."

"Bloodlust?" I repeated quietly. Gross. That would take some getting used to.

"Let's see it again, Lex!" Emmett encouraged.

"Hold on," Jasper said. "We need to bury the carcass first."

"Why?" I asked. Didn't animals die in the wild all the time? Especially deer. They were toward the bottom of the food chain. What did it matter if someone stumbled across a few dead animals before they fully decomposed?

"Not exactly," Edward answered my thoughts. "If hunters and hikers began to notice an abnormally high number of slaughtered animals in the woods, not eaten, suspicions would be raised."

"Maybe," I conceded. "But vampires aren't traditionally known for hunting deer."

"No, we're not," Jasper agreed. "Maybe Carlisle would be better suited to explain. We'll hold another family meeting tomorrow."

So after burying the buck, I did it again. I bagged an elk the second time, which left me feeling full enough to burst. I'd had enough but Emmett insisted on one more for good measure. I swear his begging was like a little kid at the store with his mom, asking for the cereal with marshmallows instead of Cheerios.

"I agree," Jasper added to Emmett's pleas. "It's something you'll have to get used to, or you run the risk of snapping one day and exposing us all. The more you hunt, the more comfortable you'll be."

"Yeah, but I eat, like, regular food," I said. "It's not like I'm starving."

"But does human food satisfy that craving?" Edward asked knowingly.

Immediately, involuntarily, my mind flashed to last night's (well, today's, really) dream. I quickly shoved it back down to the depths of my brain, but not fast enough. I saw the look of curiosity on Edward's face.

"I thought not," he added.

I mentally growled.

"All right, fine," I conceded. "But this is the last one. I have to get to work soon anyway."

I closed my eyes and inhaled. _Hey,__it__actually__smells__good__this__time_, I thought to myself. I shot off again, but had only taken three steps when Edward suddenly shouted "Not that one!"

Not what one?

I was halfway through another step when a bulldozer crashed into me. Were they cutting trees down today or something? But wouldn't somebody have heard them coming? It took me a few more seconds to realize that it wasn't a bulldozer, it was Emmett. And he had me pinned to the ground. And I was thrashing and growling and hissing at him. I had to get to that scent, I _needed_ it. I struggled to turn my palms toward Emmett, the force already building, just looking for a release. But Emmett was faster and grabbed my hands, turning my palms to face each other. It spoke to Emmett's strength that he was able to keep them together. I could feel my hands pushing against each other.

Jasper appeared over me and touched his fingers to my neck. Suddenly all the fight was out of me and I completely relaxed, very close to falling to asleep.

"That was a human," Emmett said to me through the haze that was over taking me.

I felt Jasper's fingers leave my neck. It all made sense now. I understood why everyone who was here, was here. Exactly for this reason. Renesmee's presence was obvious. If we're the same, she could help me, give me tips on how to go about this messy business. Edward was here to keep tabs on my thoughts, which was how he knew I'd gone after the wrong prey. Emmett, well Emmett was my uncle by technicality and he seemed like he'd come regardless, but he had brute strength, and Jasper had more effect than a tranquilizer gun.

Yes, it all made sense now.

Emmett slowly loosened his grip and sat back, but didn't completely let go of my arms as I sat up.

"What just happened?" I asked, breathless. I slowly began to realize that I had tried to attack Emmett. Shame overwhelmed me.

"You caught the wrong scent," Edward explained. "I had meant to lead you toward the bear to the west, but you smelled the hunters to the east."

"You mean I almost- But that- that can't be, they can't-" I met Rosalie's eyes. "They smelled _good_! How can that be?" I was near hyperventilating again and felt nauseous. I was vaguely away that I was shaking my head. "I was about to-" I cut off as saliva pooled in my mouth and my stomach clenched. "Oh God." I ripped my arms out of Emmett's hold and turned to side just in time to vomit all over the dead grass. I coughed a few times and then heaved again. Trying to catch my breath, I realized my eyes were closed and opened them. I wondered, for a moment, why there was so much blood all over the ground when I had drank it all, and then realized, I _had_drank it all.

But then I puked it all up.

That thought made me start to heave again. Intense calm engulfed me and I became aware of someone rubbing my back soothingly. The nausea pulled back a little and I stopped heaving. I spit out what was left in my mouth and turned to look at whoever was rubbing my back. It was Rosalie.

"So much for that," I said.

"Oh, honey, everyone makes mistakes," she said. "You did well for your first time."

"Everyone?" I asked.

"Well, not me," she admitted. "Or Renesmee," she added after a moment. "But Emmett has. And Jasper attacked Bella when she was still human. Edward came very close to attacking her too."

"Rosalie," Edward said quietly, in a warning tone.

"What my point is, is that it is nothing to be ashamed of," she continued. "You didn't even know what you were going after. But now you know, and you know not to pursue that kind of scent again, right?"

I nodded sullenly. Despite Jasper's influence, it still disgusted me that I had been about to kill living people and drink their blood. As soon as I was away from him, I knew the feeling would return.

Sighing, I glanced at my watch. 10:43.

"I have to get to work," I mumbled as I stood up. Emmett stood when I did. I looked around at everyone. On the one hand, I was grateful that they'd cared enough to try this, but on the other I felt completely humiliated and ashamed. At least, that's how I knew I would feel once Jasper was out of sight. He couldn't protect me from myself forever.

"Um… Thanks," I said hesitantly. And then I started back the way we came.

* * *

As always, please leave a review, even if you hated it, but especially if you loved it! I won't hold you hostage, but reviews help me to know if you are enjoying the drabble that oozes from my brain.

**Edward-Filled-Cookies:** I love your name! And your review made me seriously ponder exactly what a hot fudge cookie would be like. Is it covered in hot fudge? Is it filled with hot fudge? Personally, I like filled, like a lava cake, but a cookie. A little messy, maybe. Anyway, thank you so much for the review. I hope I keep up to your expectations, and hopefully exceed them! Now leave me another great review!

**Monkey****Brains:** Thank you SO much… for almost making me upchuck IHOP pancakes while reminding me of Indiana Jones. I'm still having disturbing flashbacks to that scene. *gag* As for your review, I'm gonna cry! You had to go and bring God into it… Thank you so much for the compliments (as I tear up again). It means so much coming from you and I'm so glad that you're still enjoying this story!

**McFoster:**Thanks for the review! Don't we all love Seth? :)

**allthenuts1013:**Oh good, I'm glad the flashbacks weren't a failure! At the time I thought it might be cheesy, but it was the best way I could think of to convey the info I needed to. The punch... Yeah, Alex has a little spunk in her. ;)

For everyone else who is reading but didn't review, thanks for taking the time to read and I hope you are also enjoying the ride.

You may friend me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, or e-mail me anytime. Just search for Renee Goetz, or check my profile for links and/or my e-mail address. For non-fan fiction reading, I also have a blog of short stories that you are welcome to check out: rengoe84 (dot) blogspot (dot) com

Read on!

_Ren_


	9. A Lexus For Lex

A Lexus For Lex

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, and to everyone who has put this story on alert. I appreciate you taking the time to not only read this, but to give me feedback as well. Please review again and continue to enjoy Family Ties. :)

I'm sorry this took so long to get out. It was a combo of writer's block and job drama. But it's here now and I hope it doesn't disappoint. Plus, it's like super long.

Thanks again, Mel Cooley!

**Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, it's not mine. If you don't recognize it, it's probably still not mine. Alex is mine. All things _Twilight_ belong to Stephanie Meyer. Now on with the story!

* * *

**Before:**

"_I have to get to work," I mumbled as I stood up. Emmett stood when I did. I looked around at everyone. On the one hand, I was grateful that they'd cared enough to try this, but on the other I felt completely humiliated and ashamed. At least, that's how I knew I would feel once Jasper was out of sight. He couldn't protect me from myself forever._

"_Um… Thanks," I said hesitantly. And then I started back the way we came._

**Now:**

The Jeep was silent except for the hum of the engine and the bumps in the road. I wanted desperately to break the silence, but I was just too ashamed. I'd almost _killed_ someone. I couldn't even imagine... What would I have done? Skipped town? I could see the headlines now: FORKS' NEWEST DEPUTY SOUGHT IN SLAY OF LOCAL TOWNSFOLK.

My face all over America's Most Wanted. Having to live in the woods and forage for berries. I couldn't do this. It was too risky. I would just have to stock up on lots of steak and deal with it. I'd done it for 23 years, I could do it for 60 or so more.

That was going to be a lot of steaks.

"If it makes you feel any better, Lex," Emmett spoke up from the driver's seat, "I made _two_ mistakes. I just smelled them and snapped. It happens."

I sighed. "It doesn't make me feel better, Emmett," I said. Then added, "But thanks for trying."

"For a first time, you did wonderfully," Rosalie assured me. "You've spent your entire life repressing your craving for blood, it's only natural that you would go after what smells appetizing. You just have to teach yourself to think before you react, that's all."

"Yeah," I sighed. "Sure."

I felt differently, of course. But I didn't feel like getting into a debate. So I retreated back into silence and stared out the dark window, until the Jeep turned into the parking lot of the police station and Emmett put it into park.

"Thanks for the ride," I said.

Rosalie turned around in her seat as I reached for the door handle.

"We'll pick you up in the morning," she said, trying to hide a smirk. "Family meeting."

_About my barbaric urge to eat people?_ I chanced a glance at Emmett. He wasn't bothering to hide his wide grin.

"See you then," I said, somewhat sullenly, and hopped out of the car.

I heard the Jeep pull away as I opened the front door of the police station. This was only my second time in the building. The first time was for my interview with Chief Swan. It was a small building, but more than large enough to accommodate the force of eight. Well, nine, now.

"Can I help you?"

I turned and looked at the receptionist seated at a large desk in the entryway, an older woman who almost reminded me of a grandmother, only surlier.

"Deputy Hale," I said with a smile, and stuck my hand out. "I start work tonight."

The old woman, Pearl Hindman according to the nameplate on her desk, eyed my hand warily, and then looked away as though it disgusted her.

Did I miss some blood? Or was she just a grouchy bitch?

"This way," she grumbled, standing up from the desk.

I slowly pulled my hand back and covertly glanced at it. Nope, clean. She was just a grouchy bitch.

She showed me to the utility closet that had been hastily converted into a locker room for me. I was the only female officer working here at the moment. A uniform was already laid out for me, along with a lockbox containing my new gun, and as soon as Pearl left I got ready to hit the street.

I stood in front of the small mirror tacked onto the wall by the door and straightened my badge on my jacket before stepping out into the hallway.

"You clean up nice."

I jumped and spun around. Leaning against the wall next to my makeshift locker room was Deputy Lucas. _My savior_, I thought sarcastically to myself with a smirk.

"Lucas, hey," I said.

"Please, call me Tommy," he said, pushing off of the wall and approaching me. "You ready for your first tour of duty in bad ass Forks?"

I snorted a laugh. "As ready as I'll ever be. I've heard my two years in East New York got nothing on this bitch."

He grinned, clearly having no idea where East New York is or what kind of rep came with it.

He started toward the door to the parking lot and waved me to follow. I smiled largely at Pearl on our way out, and was rewarded with a tight-lipped glare.

"There's usually only two deputies on the overnight," Tommy explained as we walked to a lone cruiser. "But until you learn the area there will be three of us. Joe already started patrol. It's usually real quiet, so we'll just show you around and get you acquainted with the area."

I nodded and got into the passenger seat of the cruiser. The car wasn't all that different from what I was used to in New York. Radio, computer, paperwork. It was all the same. Well, very similar, at least. I picked up a stack of forms and leafed through them. They asked for the same information, just in a different order than the forms I was used to. The computer ran a different software, but worked basically the same. Thank God the radio codes were universal.

When we were both settled and Tommy had guided me through all the necessary systems checks, he pulled out of the lot and began my tour of the sleepy little town.

* * *

3:55 in the morning found us parked in the lot of the Thriftway, "watching" the 101 for speeders. I say "watching" because Tommy was holding the radar gun, pointing toward his feet as he snored against the window.

I looked at the clock and sighed when it didn't magically jump ahead to eight o'clock. This was going to be a long career if every night went as slowly as this. At least in Brooklyn I had gunshots and crack dealers to keep me busy. Forks had none of those things. Even watching the sleazy motel across the street didn't yield anything interesting. Nobody sneaking out of a room and trying to hurry home to their wife or husband. Everything was dark and quiet.

It was unnatural.

My phone buzzed.

I looked at Tommy, who shifted slightly, but kept right on snoring. I pulled my phone out of my jacket pocket and looked at the screen. Scooter had texted me. My face lit up with a grin. We had been in the Police Academy together and ended up in the same precinct. Her name wasn't really Scooter, of course. But she rode a scooter to work everyday, and, fittingly, had a sticker of Scooter the Muppet stuck right on the front of it.

_How's the new job?_ She had written.

_Boring_, I wrote back. _But the kind of boring where you just know a psycho slasher is going to pop up and butcher the two sleeping cops._

I sent it, and suddenly had a flashback to Scream 4. I gripped my gun in its holster and quickly looked out the window. The parking lot was still deserted.

Then I remembered that I'm half vampire. What half vampire needs a gun? I could just drink all of the would-be killer's blood.

It wasn't long until my phone buzzed again.

_Lololol!_ She answered.

Another buzz: _LMAO!_

I started to write another text back, but my phone buzzed once more with _Hahahahaha! Just pop that mofo gangsta! Double tap, beeotch!_

I gave it two more seconds and received another _Aaaaahhhhh hahahahahaha! _ _Lololololol! Hahahahahaha!_

Now I figured it was safe to reply.

_I didn't get that Sharp Shooter Medal for no reason,_ I typed out.

Nearly immediately her response came through:

_Cha-ruuuu!_

I smiled and shook my head. Oh, Scooter, with her crazy text lingo. I missed her.

_How is Brooklyn?_ I typed, and hit send.

As I waited for her reply, I watched a red sports car fly past, doing at least 80 in the 35mph zone. I looked at Tommy, still soundly asleep. Oh well. I went back to my phone to read Scooter's reply, but a distant screech followed by a loud _boom_ made my head snap up.

That car hit something.

"Tommy!" I shouted, grabbing his arm and shaking him awake.

"Huh? What? I'm up, I'm up! What happened? We get a call?"

"Car crash, that way!" I pointed to the right. "Go!"

"Aw, shit," he grumbled, putting the car in drive and hitting the gas. I flipped on the roof lights.

Three hours later, I clicked print on the last page of the report and stood from the desk to retrieve my paperwork from the communal printer. The driver had been severely intox. The hospital had tested his blood for alcohol content and it came back at .31 (FYI, Washtington's legal limit is .08. We were completely perplexed at how he'd managed to even get _into_ the car, let alone _drive_ the damn thing.), so he was placed under arrest. He'd find out when he eventually woke up within the next day or two, with the hangover to end all hangovers.

At least no one other than the driver had been hurt. Thank God for that.

I faxed what I needed to fax to who I needed to fax it to before placing the stack of papers into a file folder, and locking that up in my desk. Finally, time to go home.

Well, time for a family meeting at the Cullen's home, anyway. _Then_ time to go home.

As I changed back into my street clothes, I wondered what they wanted to talk about this time. And tried to come up with answers for every possible scenario. Jasper had mentioned having a family meeting when I asked about burying the deer carcass. But that almost felt like an excuse. Why couldn't they just have explained that to me then and there? There was something else. I didn't like surprises. It bothered me that I didn't know what was coming. The best that I could figure, it would be an earful of lecture and/or advice on how to _not_ slaughter my neighbors. I had to figure out a way to break it to the Cullens that I wouldn't be "hunting" again anytime soon. I needed to word it just right so that I actually had a chance of being heard. They seemed... _eager_ to introduce me to this lifestyle.

I snorted. _Lifestyle_. That was a word for it.

I locked up my locker and headed out to the front. Cantankerous Pearl was missing, and in her place sat a younger woman, maybe a few years older than I was, her straight red hair pulled back into a bun and a wide smile on her face.

"Have a nice day, deputy," she called after me.

Surprised, I half turned as I pushed the door open. "Thanks," I smiled back. "Same to you."

So not everyone was an asshole here. So far, just Pearl.

I stepped into the early morning sun gleaming onto the parking lot and immediately spotted the red BMW idling several spaces away from the entrance. I steeled myself, taking a deep breath and slowly blowing it out, then walked over to the car and opened the passenger door.

Rosalie smiled at me from the driver's seat as I sat down and buckled up.

"How was your first night?" she asked as she pulled out of the lot.

"First night, first collar," I said.

"Really?"

"DWI," I explained.

"Is that the downed telephone pole past the Thriftway?"

"One in the same," I confirmed. "Driver isn't too bad off. He got lucky."

Thinking about work, I suddenly remembered Scooter had been texting me. I pulled out my phone. Sure enough, she had answered me. About a dozen times over. I put the phone back in my pocket. I'd have to find out about her exploits in the ghetto later.

"So what's this meeting about?" I asked. "It must be more than just hiding dead animals. You don't need your entire family to explain that to me."

Rosalie made the turn off the road to the nearly hidden driveway of their house.

"We just realized that there's a lot that you don't know," she said casually. "Things that you probably should. Humans harbor a lot of misconceptions about vampires."

That triggered something in my brain. "Yeah, how is it you're outside? The sun is up!"

She smiled. "Misconception," she said.

Less than a minute of twists and turns later, the car came smoothly to a stop in front of the garage and Rosalie shut the car off. Trying to keep my nerves under control, I followed her up the front steps and into the house.

We stepped into the dining room to find everyone waiting for us, in pretty much the same seats as before. Rosalie took her seat at the end, leaving the only empty seat immediately on her left this time, leaving me to sit next to her. Alice sat on my left, and Jasper on the other side of her. Everyone else sat in the same seat that they had on my first visit.

"So, Alex," Carlisle began. "How did you find hunting last night?"

I immediately dropped my eyes to the table top. I didn't want to see the judgment in anyone's face. Part of me knew that no one was really judging me. But I couldn't help thinking that I had failed. And not just failed, but failed publicly. I wasn't used to not being good at something.

_And don't you dare relay my _internal_ musings to anybody,_ I thought as loudly as I could. _I know you're listening. Just keep your mouth shut._

"Um..." I stalled. I hadn't really finished coming up with the wording for this yet. "I uh... I don't think it's really for me," I finally spit out.

"So just like that, you're giving up?"

My eyes shot up meet Edward's and I narrowed my gaze into a glare. He hadn't _technically_ spoken my _private_ thoughts, but he was trying to lead me to voicing them. Jerk.

"Yup," I said boldly. "Just like that."

Carlisle sighed. "I'm sorry it didn't go perfectly," he said. "But it will take time. And we are all here to help you."

"Yeah. Thanks," I said. "But I've gotten by this long, I'll be fine for another 60 or 70 years."

Everyone seemed to exchange looks with each other. The same look, as a matter of fact. The look that said, what is she talking about?

"What?" I asked.

Rosalie gently lifted my right hand from the chair's armrest and covered it with both of hers.

"From what we've learned about half-bloods so far," she explained, "Once you've aged to maturity, you stop."

This I knew. "Yeah, I figured that one out when I was eight," I said. "And I looked sixteen."

I felt my left hand now engulfed in coldness, and turned to see Alice now held it comfortingly.

"A few years ago, Jasper and I found another like you and Renesmee, in the Amazon," she told me. "He appeared to be about 17 or 18. But he had been born nearly 150 years before."

I stared at Alice.

"_Huh_?"

"You're just about as immortal as any of us," Carlisle elaborated. "Albeit not quite as invincible."

"So, you're saying I'll never grow old?" I asked. It was a lot to wrap my mind around.

"As far as we can tell so far, no," Carlisle answered.

"Wow," I breathed.

There was silence for a moment and then Rosalie spoke up.

"Alex asked me on the way over how it was possible for me to be out during the day," she told the room.

I perked up. "Yeah. Shouldn't you burst into flames and collapse into a pile of dust or something?"

Emmett guffawed. The rest of the table snickered and chuckled. It was Carlisle who finally answered my question.

"Over the centuries, humans came up with various legends about our weaknesses, to make them feel protected, as if they could stand a fighting chance if they were to encounter a vampire," he explained. "We don't generally go out on a clear, sunny day, but it is for an entirely different reason. The sun is completely harmless to us, but our skin reacts in such a way as to single us out if someone were to see."

"How?" I asked.

He hesitated. "It's something better explained by seeing than with words," he said. "We also have no allergy to garlic or holy water or crosses. You could try to pierce our hearts with wooden stakes, but you'd do more damage to the wood. Our skin is nearly indestructible."

"Indestructible?" I repeated.

"Impenetrable," Carlisle said. "To anything except vampire venom. That's why the nurses had such trouble getting your IV in the other day. You're half vampire, so your skin is not as hard as ours, but definitely harder than a human's."

"Wait, then if you're all so invincible, how do you...die?" I asked. "You must have some kind of weakness."

"So far, the only thing known to kill us is another vampire," Carlisle explained. "We can't starve, we'll only go insane with thirst. We don't need to breathe so drowning or suffocation is out. We don't have any blood flow or cell regeneration, so disease and cancer don't effect us. Even after being ripped limb from limb, we can reattach ourselves and go on as though nothing happened. I don't believe the same goes for you and Renesmee. While you do heal rapidly, it could take much less extreme measures to end your lives."

Another thought had occurred to me while Carlisle was talking. Specifically when he'd mentioned blood flow. As the question ran through my mind, Edward laughed. I shot him a glare and then returned my attention to Carlisle.

"Ok, so if you have no blood flow, how do you get a boner?"

Bella gasped and covered Renesmee's ears. Emmett guffawed again. Louder. Rosalie covered her mouth while shaking with silent laughter. Alice giggled. Jasper and Esme looked like they'd be blushing, if they could.

"Sorry," I said awkwardly to Esme and Jasper. "But come on, I mean, you guys are all couples, obviously you're getting it on. And there had to be sex for me and Renesmee to be born, and both of our mothers were human when they were pregnant, so our fathers had to be the vampire, right? But then, if you don't have fluids, where do the little swimmers come from?"

Carlisle held up a hand to stop my rambling. "The best answer I can give you is that when we are changed, the change happens because of the introduction of venom into our system. This venom takes over normal bodily fluids, such as blood, saliva, and even semen."

"But how can venom fertilize an egg?"

"It's more like venomized sperm," Carlisle said. "It isn't just pure venom. You're right, of course. Venom by itself would not be able to accomplish such a feat."

I nodded. "Okay, that might be feasible," I conceded.

"Do you have any more questions?"

I shook my head. "Not right now," I said. "Maybe later."

Carlisle nodded acceptance and continued. "Along with being an immortal, comes certain rules and responsibilities," he said. "There is a group of vampires who enforce these rules."

"What, like Vamp Police?" I joked.

"In a way," Carlisle said. "They do administer justice to anyone deemed to have broken the rules."

"Okay, well what are the rules?"

"It comes down to one, really," he said. "To keep our existence a secret. They're called the Volturi."

At 'Volturi' I pictured molting vultures sitting on several thrones, squawking away at some unfortunate rule breaker, trembling on his knees before he was descended upon and pecked to death. Then I remembered vultures are scavengers.

"So is there vampire jail, too?" I snorted.

"No," Carlisle answered grimly. "The punishment for breaking this rule is most usually death."

I sobered quickly. "Oh." I glanced around at the eight other serious faces at the table. "Well that sucks. No pun intended. But wait- if vampires are so invincible, why do the Vultures care? It's not like humans could successfully lead a rebellion against you."

"It's Volturi, and not humans alone, no," Carlisle agreed. "But there are those vampires who still remember their human existence and want to retain it enough to not want to slay innocents. And while they may not be able to harm us, humans are capable of making life difficult for us, if they are determined to do so. In the end, if humans were to rise up against vampires, there are some of us who would side with them, be it out of principle or spite."

"And don't forget," Rosalie added in, "You and Renesmee are only half vampire. You're not quite invincible. And could most definitely be held as collateral to force vampires into doing what the humans want."

I snorted. "If they can catch us," I said under my breath. Renesmee caught my eye and grinned. She knew I was right. I usually am.

"Does anyone have anything else they wish to add?" Carlisle asked the table.

I raised my hand timidly. "I thought of another question."

Carlisle nodded for me to continue.

"How old are you all?" I asked.

"Do you mean physically or chronologically?" Carlisle asked in return.

_What the hell does that mean? _I thought to myself. _It's a simple question. How old are you?_

Then I remembered Edward, and decided to just go for it.

"How long have you been al-" I cut myself off. That was the wrong wording. They weren't exactly alive. "Um, I mean, de-" Nope. They weren't dead either. "Un-" No, undead seemed rude. I huffed a frustrated sigh and shook my head. I could see Edward stifling chuckles. "How long have you all been... Around?"

"Well, you know that I was born in 1915, making me 97," Rosalie piped up.

"Technically I'm the same age," Emmett said. "I was born in Tennessee, but I was turned two years after Rose was."

"I'm 24," Bella said.

"I just turned 5 in September," Renesmee said with a wide grin. "I'm the baby of the family." Bella smiled and squeezed her tightly.

"I'm 111," Edward said.

"I'm the same age as Edward," Alice spoke up from beside me.

"168," Jasper said.

"116," Esme said.

"And I," Carlisle said, "am somewhere around 370. I was born in London in the 1640's, I believe, but dates back then were not closely paid attention to."

My jaw fell open. One hundred eleven. One hundred sixteen. One hundred sixty-eight? THREE HUNDRED EFFING SEVENTY!

I couldn't even think about it. Three hundred freaking seventy years old. A cold finger touched the underside of my chin and lifted my jaw closed. I turned to Alice, who smiled in return.

"I have a question," Emmett spoke up, raising a hand. "How do you go through your whole life not knowing you're half vampire?"

I stared at Emmett for a long moment, judging the validity of his question. When he returned my stare with equal seriousness, I decided it was worth answering. Simply.

I offered half a shrug and said, "I didn't know. I mean, I knew I was different, but I just thought I was... Different. You know? I had no reason to think that I was a bloodthirsty vampire."

Emmett raised an eyebrow at that last sentence.

"I mean, the bloodthirsty part I knew, obviously," I backpedaled. "But, the vampire part... Urgh! You know what I mean!" I resisted the urge to stomp my foot.

Several titters echoed around the table until Rosalie suddenly stood up, an excited smile gracing her lips.

"Alexandra," she began, speaking very formally. "While we consider ourselves a family, none of us are biologically related, in the common sense of the word. With the exception of Nessie, of course. For the vast majority of us, we have no family left. Except for you. That being the case, I don't know that you could comprehend how important that is. So we decided we would like to show you our appreciation and formally welcome you to the family." Here she paused for a moment and glanced at Emmett, before looking back at me, somewhat bashfully. Then added, "If you accept, of course."

I was at a loss for words. They'd already accepted me so readily, as though it were a given I'd become a part of their family (or coven or clan or whichever makes you happy), without a second thought. At least, not that I knew of. And now my Great Aunt Rosalie just stands up and delivers this heartwarming speech in this room full of people I barely know... What am I supposed to say to that?

"Uhhm..." I was stalling. As I looked from face to face, the answer was obvious, painfully so. For reasons I couldn't fathom, they had already accepted me, and here I was debating to accept them or not? I suddenly felt like a douche for hesitating at all.

I forced a big, happy grin onto my face and said, "Of course, Aunt Rosalie. Why wouldn't I?"

Rosalie's face erupted suddenly into a glowing beam of happiness, her bright teeth glinting and sparkling, and her arms flung open and came crashing closed around me. I heard various gasps and sighs of happiness from around the table.

"Can we show her now?" Emmett practically squealed from just behind Rosalie. "Please? Please, please, please, please?"

Rosalie dropped her arms and turned to give Emmett a look that I couldn't see from my current angle. Alice shot up from her seat next to me, grinning like a crazy person.

"You're going to love this!" she exclaimed, taking my hand and pulling me away toward the kitchen. Rosalie caught my other hand and followed on my heels.

"Excuse me, Alice, but I _am_ the biological aunt here," she said.

"She's a Cullen now, too," Alice answered as they dragged me through the kitchen.

"Excuse _me_," I butted in, "but _she_ is right here, thank you very much."

"Girls," I heard Esme's motherly tone from behind me. "This gift is equally from all of us. No one is hogging the glory."

"Gift?" I asked. "What gift?"

We'd stopped in front of the door to the garage and Alice once again wore a gleaming grin across her face. I looked around to the rest of the Cullen's who had followed our path through the kitchen, and now all wore similar expressions of excitement mixed with anticipation.

"Oh, just a little something from everyone," Carlisle answered. "We know you value your independence."

I raised a curious eyebrow and turned back to Alice and Rosalie, who were silently vying for dibs on the doorknob. I sighed. At this rate I'd never get this over with. Gritting my teeth, I shoved my hand in between their bickering ones, most likely sustaining a few bruises that would barely show before they started to heal, and grasped the doorknob, turning it and pushing the door open before either could object.

I took one step into the garage and suddenly Emmett was in front of me, taking my hand and pulling me past the black Mercedes, the yellow Porshe, a silver Volvo and the Aston Martin, to a blue vehicle I hadn't seen before. He stopped and dropped my hand, and with a goofy grin, half bowed and held his hands out, presenting the car to me.

"I hope the color is all right," Rosalie said from close behind me. "I noticed you had a lot of blue in your house."

I stared, dumbfounded, at the Lexus in front of me. "_This_... is for _me_?"

Rosalie's hand appeared in front of me, holding a key. She clicked a button and the car beeped, before she handed it to me.

"From the family," she said. "Every Cullen travels in style."

"Except me," Renesmee muttered.

"Renesmee," I heard Bella scold, to which Renesmee sighed.

"I know, I know," she grumbled. "Only eleven more years."

I turned and looked at the group behind me.

"This is so generous of you, but I can't accept this," I said.

"Why not?" Rosalie asked, at the same time Nessie said, "I'll take it!"

I smirked at Renesmee, and then turned serious again.

"It's too much," I said, turning back to gape at the car. "It's a _Lexus_."

"A 2013 Lexus ISF turbo, to be exact," Emmett said. "Zero to sixty in 4.6 seconds factory, but Rose is a genius. You'll get up there in about half that."

I shook my head as I stared at the electric blue car.

"At least take it for a test drive," Rose said.

I sighed. "All right," I said. "I'll take your extremely generous token of love and acceptance for a drive."

"Whoo!" Emmett screamed out.

I laughed and got into the car, waiting only two seconds for Rose and Emmett to close their doors. The garage door opened, and we were speeding down the winding driveway toward the highway.

* * *

As always, please leave a review, even if you hated it, but especially if you loved it! I won't hold you hostage, but reviews help me to know if you are enjoying the drabble that oozes from my brain, and encourage me to write faster. Just in case, you know, you happen to be waiting with baited breath for the next chapter.

**TinyButDangerous:** Thank you for the review and welcome to the show! I hope you liked this chapter as well!

**Voldemort:** Wow, a compliment from the Dark Lord himself. I'm flattered. Can I get one of those awkward Malfoy hugs? ;)

For everyone else who is reading but didn't review, thanks for taking the time to read and I hope you are also enjoying the ride.

I'm not proud of this chapter. I found it rather boring. One reason it took so long. But, you know. Exposition. Ugh. What did you think? Seth will be back next chapter. Maybe just a bit more fluff and then some drama. Surprises are on the way! Stick with me!

You may friend me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, or e-mail me anytime. Just search for Renee Goetz, or check my profile for links and/or my e-mail address. For non-fan fiction reading, I also have a blog of short stories that you are welcome to check out: rengoe84 (dot) blogspot (dot) com

Read on!

_Ren_


	10. Holy Shhh!

Chapter 9

Thanks again, Mel Cooley!

Disclaimer: Yeah, I think you get it by now.

AN: Uhhhh... Yeah. I'm sorry if you were waiting for this one. I won't bore you with excuses. There are a lot of them. But they're not important. What _is_ important is... Who else is going TwilightFest this year? Because I'll... be in the area, at least. I'm playing it by ear, but I was there last fall to hike all the gorgeous trails in the Olympic National Forest and got trapped in that government shut down and threatened with arrest if I dared to "trespass" on Federal property. Not that I just drove down the road and snuck in off the trailhead or anything. Because that would be illegal and dangerous. *halo glows extra bright* So... I'll be around. PM me if you're going and want to, like, touch base or whatever. I make zero promises. COUGHpotislegaltherenowCOUGHCOUGH hashtagjustsaying.

Oh. I'm not on Twitter right now. Hashtags are irrelevant. Oops. Oh well.

Anyway. Here is the fruit of your two year wait, and the end of my rambling.

**Before:**

_I shook my head as I stared at the electric blue car._

_"At least take it for a test drive," Rose said._

_I sighed. "All right," I said. "I'll take your extremely generous token of love and acceptance for a drive."_

_"Whoo!" Emmett screamed out._

_I laughed and got into the car, waiting only two seconds for Rose and Emmett to close their doors. The garage door opened, and we were speeding down the winding driveway toward the highway._

**Now:**

She rode like a dream. Every curve, every dip, every hairpin turn, she handled like a pro. I couldn't fathom driving anything smoother.

Emmett hadn't exaggerated about Rose being an auto genius. At his... _enthusiastic_ urging, I'd opened her up and blasted the stereo. Zero to sixty in about two and a half seconds, and we were hitting 120 not long after, flying down the highway with the bass thumping, resonating in my chest. All too soon, my joy ride tapered to an end, and Rosalie put my address into the navigation system to take me home.

"You're working again tonight, are you not?" was her question to my puppy dog eyes.

"Oh, come on, Aunt Rose! You can't be serious! I'm 23 years old! Missing a couple hours of sleep won't hurt me!"

"Oh, I certainly _am_ serious," she assured me. "I know you're grown and have been on your own for a while, but a little structure won't hurt you either."

I turned my eyes to the review mirror. "Uncle Emmett?" I tried to make myself as cute and innocent as I could. Emmett just grinned and shook his head.

"Sorry kiddo," he said. "There's no arguing with Rose. Besides, she's not all too wrong."

I sighed and returned my eyes to the road, following the directions the car's navigation gave me, and within ten minutes I was pulling into my driveway.

"Wait, I should drop you guys at your house first," I realized out loud.

"We can run back faster than you could drive us," Rose said, smiling.

"We're due for a nice hunt anyway," Emmett chimed.

I cringed, remembering the previous night, then caught myself and forced a smiled that felt much more like a grimace. "And you can have that all to yourselves," I grumbled.

I opened my car door and Rose and Emmett were immediately out of the car, looking around frantically.

I stepped out at a slower pace, gauging their bizarre reactions.

"What happened?"

"_Mutts._" The word sounded like a curse the way Rose muttered it, and as she turned to glance at me, an ugly sneer marred her otherwise beautiful face.

"Mutts?" I was confused. Why would dogs upset-

_Oh!_

"The giant mutant wolves that tried to eat me a few days ago? Yeah, one of them came by after you left yesterday. Said he wanted to apologize."

Emmett looked at me curiously. "And how did that go?"

I smirked. "I broke his nose."

"Whoo! That's my niece!" He ran over to me and ruffled my hair.

I nodded, and felt myself blush.

"And then he asked me to dinner."

Emmett went immediately silent. Rose gaped.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing! It's _their_ fault my car got wrecked! I couldn't believe he had the gall to even ask! I just walked away from him."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Not another one," she grumbled.

"Another one?" I asked. "Another what?"

Rose sniffed the air, not answering my question. "It was Seth Clearwater, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," I answered slowly.

"He's been here more recently than last night," she said. She walked over to me and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. It was... Motherly. "Think about his dinner offer," she said quietly.

Reluctantly, and more to placate Rosalie than anything else, I nodded. She smiled down at me and then headed toward the tree line at a human pace. Emmett followed but walked backward for a moment to shoot me a wide grin and a wave before turning back to follow Rosalie. I watched the tree line until I heard a rush of wind and then silence.

It almost felt like having parents. Rather, it almost felt like having a mother and a goofy big brother. I didn't fault anything about the way Grandpa Richie raised me. He did his best, and did a pretty good job, in my opinion, of playing both father and mother roles. But I never knew my mother and I was still young when Grandpa Richie died, and my stint in foster care only gave me legal guardians, no real feel of parents who cared about me and loved me. As long as I was fed and not missing after curfew, their obligation was satisfied. If it really meant so much to Rose that I rethink Seth's invitation to dinner, I would.

Rethinking didn't mean saying yes. I could just rethink all the reasons to say no.

I clicked the remote lock to the car and turned and headed up the steps to my front porch. On the second step, I caught a whiff of something out of place and froze. It was floral, mixed with something else. Pine?

I cautiously took another step up, my fears confirmed as I saw the wrapped bouquet laid neatly on the welcome mat in front of the door. A bouquet of dark pink roses, red asters, and pink carnations. Stuck in between the delicate petals was a card. I slowly spun on the spot, looking for anything else out place. Footprints, eyes peering out from between the trees, anything like that. When I was satisfied the stalker wasn't watching from the shadows, I picked up the flowers, unlocked my front door, and slammed it shut behind me, bee lining for the kitchen. I set the flowers on the counter and picked up the card.

_Roses are red_

_Violets are blue_

_Let me take you to dinner_

_And try to make up for everything I did to you_

I rolled my eyes and scoffed. He was really trying. I couldn't help smiling and shook my head as I dropped the card in the trash can and brought the flowers back to the front porch and left them on the railing before going back inside.

I slept surprisingly soundly the rest of Wednesday afternoon and work that night into Thursday morning went unsurprisingly slowly, filled mostly with texting Scooter and Rose, until Emmett sent a text requesting I stop texting my aunt, saying specifically, "Just because you refuse to get laid doesn't mean no one else wants to." After swallowing back the bile that had half risen in my throat, I said goodnight to Rose and focused on my conversation with Scooter, who was all too eager to catch me up on 75th precinct gossip. Apparently since I'd moved away two weeks prior, there were two pregnancies, one of which spurred on a divorce because the father was another cop and not her husband.

Drama.

Getting home Thursday morning yielded no surprises as I saw the bouquet from the previous day was gone and replaced with a wooden figure of what looked like a wolf. I picked up it up and inspected it curiously. It felt like it weighed about two pounds and was bigger than my hand, maybe about six inches long and four inches high. It didn't look the least bit scary or intimidating, either. In fact it looked, well, it was kind of cute. It had its head down, but looked up with wide eyes. I knew this was not Seth the man, but Seth the wolf, apologizing. I briefly considered taking it inside (it would make a nice paperweight on my desk), but quickly dismissed that idea and set it back in its place on the porch railing. I didn't want to give him the wrong idea. I couldn't get involved with anybody, least of all a ginormous, mutant wolf who had tried to eat me five minutes after I moved into town.

I turned and headed into the house, locking the door behind me. I went into the kitchen and picked up an unopened package of Double-Stuf Oreos and went straight to the living room. Falling onto the couch, I clicked on the TV and opened the cookies, not hesitating to dig right in with one hand as I channel surfed with the other. Chiller was showing a _Wolf Lake _marathon. Of course I immediately saw the parallel, but hey, maybe I could learn something.

_I didn't know how I'd gotten from my couch to the middle of the woods, but here I stood in a small clearing, surrounded by unthinkably tall trees. I thought I was alone, until a voice spoke behind me._

_"You're not good."_

_I whirled around, and saw a shirtless Seth Clearwater glaring at me from the tree line, more hatred in his eyes than I could fathom._

_"I haven't done anything," I said, and it sounded disturbingly like pleading. "I've never bitten anyone, I swear!"_

_Seth shrugged as his eyes turned a bright yellow, subtly glowing in the dim light. "It's only a matter of time," he said, his voice deepening into a snarl as his face elongated into a snout, and fur sprouted out along his entire body. "You can't hold out forever," he continued in a deep growl, arms and legs becoming longer as he went down onto all fours. I was no longer looking at Seth. I was looking at a giant wolf, not dissimilar to the carved one I had found on my front porch. _

_"I can, Seth! I've done it this long!"_

_The sand-colored wolf advanced slowly, lips pulling back as he moved to reveal long, white fangs, saliva making them glisten, and dripping from the ends. _

_"You're a murderer," Seth's voice continued through the growling, even though his lips did not move. "You killed your own grandfather, who did nothing but try to raise you right. Hell, you killed your own mother! Your _mother!_ How can you be trusted around people you don't even know when you killed the woman who carried you in her womb for nine months?"_

_Tears stung my eyes and I willed them not to fall._

_"I-I didn't mean to," I said around the lump in my throat. "It was an accident, if I could take it back I would!"_

_"There is one way you can redeem yourself," Seth's voice said._

_And without any further warning, the wolf lunged. I felt the sharp claws dig into my chest as I fell backward, his hot, wet breath on my face-_

I sat up with a jolt, sucking in air that my lungs were desperately crying for. After gasping for a minute or so and coming back to my senses, I leaned back into the couch cushions and wiped the cold sweat off my forehead. This was getting ridiculous.

A knock at the door grabbed my attention. Making sure I wasn't overly disheveled, I got up and went to see who it was. If it was Seth again...

But it wasn't. It was another tribe member, accompanied by Renesmee. Perplexed, I unlocked and opened the door.

"Renesmee, hey, what's up?"

Smiling widely, she said, "Hi Alex! This is Jacob," she indicated the man next to her. "He's my- um, he's my friend. Anyway, I wanted to introduce you and, well, we wanted to talk to you."

Sensing ulterior motives, I looked closely at this Jacob fellow. As closely as I could, anyway, seeing as he stood about two and a half heads taller than me. A tribal looking tattoo on his shoulder caught my attention.

"You friends with Seth Clearwater?" I asked flatly.

"Yeah, actually, I wanted to-"

I shook my head and started to close the door, saying "No, thanks."

But the door wouldn't close. When I looked, I saw Renesmee had blocked it open with her foot.

"Please, Alex," she said with wide eyes. "Just hear us out."

Ugh, this little girl and her puppy dog eyes.

"Fine, fine," I finally grumbled, and opened the door to allow them inside.

* * *

I stared at them, mouth hanging open, the Oreo in my hand forgotten for the moment. I was beginning to wonder how many more crazy supernatural revelations I could handle this week. I'd only been in town four days and already I'd found my missing great aunt, found out she didn't go missing but was turned into a vampire, found out I'm half vampire, all after being nearly eaten by giant shape shifting wolves. And now on top of all of that, here was Renesmee and her... Her _Jacob, _telling me that due to some crazy voodoo, they were destined to be together.

"So this... This _imprinting _is absolute?" I asked, finally regaining control of my mouth. "Neither of you has a choice?"

"Well, sure, Nessie could decide she doesn't want me around," Jacob said. "But she would have no reason to. It would be like we were designed perfectly for each other. And my role is to be whatever she needs me to be. A friend, a protector. Generally, down the road when she's matured, we would fall into the role of lovers." He looked purposely at Renesmee. "But that won't even be a topic for discussion for a long, _long_ time."

Renesmee blushed and nodded.

I looked down at the cookie in my hand and put it back into the box. I wouldn't be eating in the near future. I had a sneaking suspicion about why they were sharing this information with me. Aunt Rose's _suggestion_ from the day before popped up in my mind.

"So why are you telling me all this?"

They exchanged another look and then looked back to me.

"Uncle Emmett mentioned Seth has been coming around," Renesmee said. "That is a very nice wolf he carved for you out on the porch."

I snorted. "Yeah, that's after the flowers he dropped off yesterday. Can't wait to see what he leaves on my doorstep tomorrow. Although, now that you've told me about this imprinting thing, it boggles my mind why he's trying so hard when his imprint could be out there somewhere waiting for him. That boy must really feel guilty."

Jacob and Renesmee just stared blankly at me. I slowly felt my smirk fade from my face. Renesmee opened her mouth as if to say something, but Jacob squeezed her knee and muttered what sounded like, "Wait for it."

Slowly, it dawned on me. Very, _very_ slowly. Because, if Seth's perfect soulmate/imprint _was_ out there somewhere, he _wouldn't _be trying so hard, guilty conscience or not. He would only be trying so hard if he were trying to woo his imprint. Who he had almost eaten a few days before.

"Holy shit," I whispered.

* * *

**AN:** Yes, yes, I know, hybrid gestation is not nine months, as my lovely beta was quick to point out. I just ask you to keep in mind that _Alex_ knows little about her conception and birth. I again apologize for the absurdly long wait and want to thank the several people who PMed me and asked me where the hell the next chapter was. You know who you are. I WILL say, however, that the zero reviews of the last chapter contributed to the delay, however the PM's and several new follows did kick my butt into gear. So, I mean, if you want a chapter faster, you know, you could, like, leave a little review. HashtagJustSaying. Oh. Right. This isn't Twitter.

Speaking of Twitter, you can follow me if you want. ReneeGoetz. You can find me on Facebook. The name's Renee Goetz. And/or you can e-mail me. Rengoe84 at gmail dot com. If you didn't get it, my name is Renee Goetz.

I'm gonna just stop with the rambling now. I only ask that you please leave me some love in the reviews. I like to know how my creativeness is received.

PS- If you don't know of them yet, Betterin Texas and 4MeJasper and Karry4Harry write some good stuff. Check 'em out. HashtagJus- Damn it! I know, I know, this isn't Twitter!


End file.
